


Stars Apart

by consultingknight



Series: Stars Apart - A Poe Dameron Fanfiction Series [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 56,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21781141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consultingknight/pseuds/consultingknight
Summary: Roseyve Irowen, the former queen of a planet ravaged by the first order, joins the resistance base on D'Qar to assist as a trained soldier as her diplomatic days come to an end. In adjusting to the new environment, Roseyve is forced to grapple with her past and her sense of identity all while dealing with a pilot from her past that never seems to leave her alone. Together, they form a tumultuous bond, and seek comfort in each other amongst all the loss.
Relationships: Poe Dameron & Original Character(s)
Series: Stars Apart - A Poe Dameron Fanfiction Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569682
Kudos: 8





	1. The Not-Quite Beginning

_Chapter 1_

_The not-quite beginning_

"Alright, prepare for landing."

The cabin was a whirlwind as women, dressed in varying flight suits, spun around each other and laughed as they pulled down bags from overhead compartments and from beneath benches which lined the walls and surrounded old, wobbly tables. As they chattered excitedly, speculating about their new adventures, Eve sat alone at the back of the ship, prodding gently at a fresh wound with a wet cloth. Holding her white tank top up above the wound on her abdomen, she bit her lip, then glanced out of the window. It was dark, though with clouds or night, Eve could not tell. She looked at the front of the ship and pressed a bandage over her wound. It was too loud to focus; she'd clean the cut later. Aska, a tall blonde that Eve had known for longer than she could remember, had turned around in her seat to check on her close friend. She nodded at her, a nod which Eve quickly returned, before she turned back around in her seat. Eve dropped her shirt down and neatly folded up the med kit that sat open on the table in front of her before she tucked it carefully under her seat. The ship bumped once, then settled down on the smooth surface. Eve stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder, using her free hand to tie up the upper half of her olive green jumpsuit around her waist, leaving her arms free. She walked towards the door, where Aska waited with a hand on her blaster. 

"I hope this won't take long," Eve mumbled, pressing her fingers against a glowing white button on the wall. The opening of the ship hissed as it opened, and Eve began her descent down the ramp.

"I'm sure it won't," Aska said. "It never does."

It was cold out. A breeze rolled over the group, and goosebumps rose along Eve's slender arms. She shivered, tucking a strand of caramel coloured hair behind her ear. Fog rolled in over endless green hills. If the excited whispers were indicative of anything, the greenery was a welcomed sight. They'd spent over a year wandering through cities and deserts through countless missions. It wasn't often that they got to see such sights. As they reached the end of the ramp, Eve paused, looking up at the dark sky. The base was almost completely silent. Quiet like this was rare.

"Are you going somewhere?" Aska asked, careful to keep her voice down. The other members of their squadron, while trying their best to be quiet, were too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice Eve and Aska nervously surveying the base. They hadn't expected it to be so quiet, although they assumed there wasn't much to be done at night asides from having other ships land from previous missions.

"How did you know?"

"You look uneasy." The two women exchanged a look.

"I'm going to find the general," Eve said. 

"She won't be awake," Aska said. "She might not even be on this planet right now. We are early."

"I suppose I'll have to figure that out on my own." Eve smiled slightly. "I don't need a guardian." She paused, regaining a regal composure. Then, she turned to the group. A silence immediately fell over them. 

"Alright, we have a long day ahead of us. It's time to get some rest. Freya, you have a copy of the map. Could you please direct the squadron to their new living quarters?" Aska calmly ordered. Freya nodded, and the women walked past Eve, who stood with her hands neatly folded at her front. Once they'd all left, Eve looked at Aska once more. "You need to rest, too."

"I'm fine," Eve said quietly. She took in a deep breath of the fresh air. It reminded her of home. "Go on. I'll be okay. You need the rest more than I do."

Aska rolled her eyes, then stepped forward and gently clasped Eve's bicep. They nodded once at each other before stepping away and turning in opposite directions. The door hissed close and Eve began on her merry way. Behind her, Aska called for the group to wait. The hangar was only just visible through the fog. 

She didn't like to sleep much anymore.

Eve's footsteps echoed slightly through the night as she approached the large opening, already intimidated by various ships looming over her in the night's darkness. She made her way under the shelter of the hangar ceiling and dodged low-hanging parts and wires, and tinny music from the furthest reach of the hangar it seemed began to make its way to Eve's ear. As Eve dodged the wing of a decrepit x-wing, Eve felt her foot tap against metal, and she quickly slowed her step. She looked down, greeted by the site of a whirring BB unit droid. He beeped loudly, as if shouting over the distant music. Eve paused, then knelt down in front of the droid.

"Hello," she greeted warmly. "I'm sorry I bumped into you. I wasn't looking."

He beeped a series of beeps.

"I'm Eve," she said. "It's nice to meet you, BB-8." 

_Beeping._

"Yes, I'm new. I'm with the blue squadron."

_Beeping._

"Aren't you nosy!"

_Beeping._

"Don't worry, I was only kidding."

_Beeping._

"Yes, well, I just thought I'd take some time to explore before everyone wakes up. 'Thought it'd be a good idea to familiarize myself with the base before chaos ensues." Eve tilted her head, trying to hear the music better. "And what are you doing out here?"

_Beeping._

"Follow you?" Eve looked up, glancing around herself. "Well, you better keep me safe. I'm not the best with a blaster." 

Eve stood up and watched as the small robot began to roll forward, beeping enthusiastically about their destination. Eve wiped her hands on her shirt and followed closely behind, her hand sliding down against her leg to feel for the outline of her blaster held snugly in her pocket. BB-8 beeped loudly and Eve hummed in agreement, trying to peek above the outlines of ships as the music grew louder. Then, finally, BB-8 rolled around a particularly large ship into a dimly lit clearing. A man in an orange jumpsuit sat atop an x-wing directly in front of them, his head bowed as he tinkered with something beneath the ship's hood. BB-8 beeped loudly to announce their entrance, and the dark-haired man looked up quickly, his eyebrows raised. His eyes moved from the small droid to Eve, who blushed under his curious gaze. _Damn_ , she thought. She wished she'd worn something nicer. She was embarrassed to have to introduce herself in a battle-worn jumpsuit. His gaze flickered down to her abdomen. As BB-8 explained the situation, the side of the man's lips lifted slightly to reveal a pearly white grin. 

"Eve? BB-8 said you're new to the base, part of the crew we've been expecting," the man said. Eve nodded slightly and the man slid down from the hood. He dropped a wrench into a toolbox at his feet and sauntered over to Eve, holding out a hand. BB-8 beeped disapprovingly, and the the man blushed, quickly wiping an oil-covered hand against his orange jumpsuit. He held it out again. Eve paused, then slid her hand against his, clasping it once before releasing it again.

"Yes, that's right. We're slightly ahead of schedule," Eve explained breathlessly. She couldn't understand why she was out of breath.

"I'm Poe, it's nice to meet you." Poe grinned and Eve nodded, her hand falling back to her side. She turned and stepped past him, fixing her gaze on the x-wing. She crossed her arms and raised a hand to her cheek, gently pressing her fingers against the heated, freckled surface. 

"I'm sorry I've bothered you. BB-8 didn't exactly tell me what he was leading me to. I wouldn't have come if I'd known you were preoccupied," she said. Poe walked up next to her, their shoulders brushing as he looked down at her with a smile.

"Don't worry about it." He waved his hand. "I'm sorry he interrupted you. He said you were trying to explore."

"Oh, it's okay. He's lovely, really. I was glad for the company. And y'know, this is probably the most interesting part of my night." Eve glanced up at Poe and attempted a light-hearted smile. He reached back, running a hand through his dark hair. "That is to say, I don't often get to see mechanics in their natural environment. I'm not usually near crafts like these."

"I'm not a mechanic," Poe said quickly. "But I'm glad he brought you over here." BB-8 beeped in agreement as he spun around the two, and Eve pressed her hand against her cheek once more. _Why was it so warm?_ Poe stepped forward, narrowly missing BB-8's trajectory, and ran a hand along the outstretched wing of the x-wing. Eve crossed her arms, watching him with a careful eye.

"So what are you, then?"

"I'm a pilot," he said, his gaze affixed to the worn metal of the x-wing with furrowed brows. Eve took the distracted moment to look at him, to really look at him, and frowned as a sense of familiarity flooded her senses. Poe stepped back and turned to Eve to smile. "This is my ship."

"It's very nice," Eve said. Poe chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm assuming you aren't a pilot?"

"My squadron's primarily made of foot soldiers," Eve said. "There are some who can fly sufficiently enough for difficult situations-"

"Difficult situations?" Poe asked. Eve hesitated.

"Well, we used to do a lot of undercover work. Not anymore, I guess." Eve shrugged, shuffling her feet against the concrete floor. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

"So are you one of those sub-par pilots?" Poe asked. Eve looked up quickly. "You know, since you avoided my question." Eve scoffed.

"I wasn't avoiding it," Eve said, rolling her eyes playfully. "But no, I'm not."

"Was it a seniority thing?"

"No," Eve said. "During free time, we were told we could do whatever we wanted. Some of us trained with ships. I chose other areas."

"You didn't want to fly?" Poe asked. Eve raised an eyebrow.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"And you keep giving me vague responses." Poe grinned. "No offence."

BB-8 beeped.

"Yeah, I'm just nosy," Poe said. 

"Well," Eve began, "I've never been very interested. That type of control at my hands..." she trailed off, staring at the chipped-paint exterior. _She remembered finding the abandoned x-wing in the meadow for the first time, running her hands along its outside. She pulled vines away from the seat and climbed inside then ran her hands along the control panel. She could almost see its lights blinking on a mission far away. Oh, how badly she wished it could fly._

"Have you tried? It's daunting, but...there's nothing in the world that feels like that." Eve looked at Poe. Far away stars twinkled in his eyes.

"I haven't."

"You should."

"Maybe one day," Eve said. She smiled slightly. "For now, though, I'm fine on the ground."

"Well, find me when you're ready. I'll teach you." Poe smiled, then frowned slightly, rubbing at his stubble-covered cheeks. He pointed at her. "You look familiar. We've met before, haven't we?" He asked. Eve looked at him, then shook her head.

"No, I don't believe we have. I'm sure I'd remember you." Eve felt heat rise to her cheeks once more and Poe smiled, glancing down at a suddenly silent BB-8. BB-8 looked between the two and Eve cleared her throat, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. "I should let you get back to your work," she said. Poe looked up, his smile fading.

"Oh," he breathed out. "Are you sure you're okay alone?"

"I'm fine. I'd hate to intrude any further."

"You haven't," Poe said quickly. "Trust me."

"You seemed pretty busy with your ship." She waved her hand flippantly towards the x-wing, then fixed her hair, suddenly aware again of how dishevelled she likely looked.

"I was." Poe shrugged. "But if you want, you could help me." Eve laughed, mostly out of shock, and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm not a mechanic," she said.

"Neither am I," he said, "but it might go smoother with your help." He grinned, and watched as Eve ponded his suggestion. She bit her lip and looked between the ship and the charming pilot before nodding slightly.

"Okay, only if you really want me on the job. And you can't get angry if I mess it up. I already warned you."

Poe walked to the side of the ship and held out a hand to her. Eve paused, looking between his smile and outstretched hand before stepping forward, gingerly slipping her hand into his. BB-8 beeped nervously to their side, and Eve laughed. 

"Don't listen to him, he's only joking," Poe mumbled. He watched as Eve began to climb up the ship, one hand hovering over her back in case she fell. As she stretched her arm above her head, she suddenly winced, hissing in a sharp breath. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eve mumbled. Poe looked at her bloodied shirt.

"I can take you to the med bay if you need it."

"I said I'm fine." Silence hung between them, and Eve cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm fine, really. Now, don't distract me or I'll fall and you'll have to catch me." Once she was safely on top, he climbed up after her, carefully moving to sit opposite of her. 

* * *

As the sun began to rise past the horizon line, illuminating the ghostly base and the rolling green hills once covered by a nightly fog, the hangar was filled with sounds of laughter, conversation and music (the music, which Poe had explained, came from a little box he kept in his x-wing. It wasn't what she was used to, but she liked it). BB-8 contributed regularly, and made Eve laugh every time he spoke. Slowly, pilots and soldiers began to filter into the space, tired as they grumbled about the various chores and exercises they had to complete that day. Many that wandered near the x-wing shouted greetings towards Poe while eyeing Eve warily as she avoided their gaze, as if embarrassed to be seen. As the early morning progressed, Eve steadily grew more tense and less responsive, leaving Poe to make up most of the conversation. After Poe began to notice a soft blush covering Eve's cheeks accompanied by a distracted frown, Poe reached out gently touched her hand. Eve instinctively pulled her hand away, her lips parting in shock.

"Are you okay?" Poe asked. Eve nodded slightly, staring down at the hood.

"Yes," she said curtly. She looked up, her expression hardening as a familiar voice made its way through the bustling hangar. Within moments, Aska and the rest of the squadron wandered into view, and Eve slid down gracefully from the hood. Poe watched the girls bow their heads slightly in greeting as Eve approached. Eve nodded, raised a hand, then wiped her hands against the seat of her pants.

"I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost," Aska teased, then raised an eyebrow as she spotted Poe atop the x-wing. Poe waved, and a few girls in the squadron exchanged suspicious smirks. Aska grimaced. Eve's ears grew red at the sight and cleared her throat, drawing the attention back to her.

"I haven't been lost since we were children."

"I'm sure your absence during the Canugan raid was intentional," Aska remarked. Eve rolled her eyes, shaking her head, but smiled after a moment.

"I've already told you, I was trying to get to higher ground."

"Really," Aska whispered, stepping closer to Eve, "what were you doing?"

"I told you." Eve raised her eyebrows, silently signalling an end to the conversation. "I was just exploring." Aska looked at Poe again, frowning.

"We've met him before," Aska said. 

"What?" Before Aska could deliver a response, a frantic voice interrupted the conversation. Poe climbed down slowly, to avoid disturbing the group, and watched as a blue-haired girl anxiously approached Aska and Eve, bowing her head ever so slightly.

"Roseyve, I've notified the general of your presence," the girl quickly said. "On Aska's orders."

"Your orders?" Eve asked. Poe watched the two exchange a nervous look. That name sounded so familiar, although he couldn't understand why. "Wonderful, Lin. Thank you. Where can I find her?"

"She's coming to you," Lin said. Eve grimaced, then nodded. Eve turned just as her old mentor entered the circle, bearing a tight-lipped smile. Leia Organa, general of the resistance, walked forward with opened arms to greet her.

"General," Eve said. Leia enveloped her in a tight hug and Eve held her breath, her arms remaining at her sides. It had been a very long time since she'd seen her, since she'd been hugged like this. This hug, for Eve, was synonymous with goodbye. Leia stepped back, holding Eve an arm's width apart.

"You've grown," she noted with a smile. Then she shook her head, her hands falling back to her sides. "And you didn't go to the med bay like you should have."

"I'm fine," Eve said, shaking her head with a small smile. "It was just a scratch. Besides, I was busy." She gestured towards the x-wing behind her. Leia looked past her and smiled as her gaze settled on Poe. 

"Poe, I see you helped welcome Rose to the base," Leia said. Eve's smile dropped, and Poe stepped forward. The squadron parted to allow him to reach Leia and Eve. 

"It's Eve," Eve corrected. Despite the sternness in her voice, it was drowned out by the sound of something falling in the hangar, followed shortly by a pilot's angry shouts. 

"I didn't do much. I mostly just had her help me with my ship," Poe said. Eve laughed.

"Hardly. I wasn't much help," Eve said, gently nudging his side with her elbow. 

"It must have been a nice reunion," Leia said, smiling as she watched the two. She placed a hand on Eve's shoulder, preparing to lead her away, but Eve didn't move. She frowned, looking at a very confused Poe.

"Reunion?" Eve asked. Leia paused as she looked between the two. "We've only just met."

"Poe was there, during the fall of Roirutea," Leia said slowly. The colour drained from Eve's face. "You didn't recognize each other?"

Perhaps it was a difference of five years that made it hard to recognize each other, or perhaps it was Eve's changed name. Now, they were aware of what caused that sickening sense of familiarity in their guts. Poe laughed, though perhaps more out of shock.

"Rose," Poe breathed out. "The last princess."

"Not really," Eve said. A crowd was beginning to grow. "If we're going to be specific, I was the queen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed uwu  
> The next part will be posted soon once all my exams are done


	2. The Fire Bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first look into the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry i took so long to update! I kind of forgot to, and TROS disappointed me a bit so I lost interest in Star Wars for a while. I couldn't abandon this story though, just because I've been working on this OC since TLJ, so I'll be trying to update soon! Sorry about this chapter though, establishing backstories can be a little difficult lmao. You'll see more in the sequel story!

_Chapter 2_

_The Fire Bloom_

_A ship exploded overhead. Rose continued to run._

_When Rose first called for war on their occupiers, several people had predicted an outcome like this. She wasn't considered an expert on diplomatic measures by any means. During her many years working as an apprentice under Leia Organa, Rose felt competent in the sector of both foreign and domestic policy. However, when faced with the challenge of ruling a kingdom she'd never expected to rule, she felt quite useless in the way of military strategy. She'd been forced to make the decision alone, as her most trusted member of the king's guard had been imprisoned for his unwillingness to serve the First Order during their occupation of the planet. When Rose pulled her blaster on a tall man who planned to become her husband and king of Roirutea, in the hopes of bringing the planet under the complete control of the First Order, she'd never expected it would lead to her running through a village in a last minute evacuation._ _She'd wandered away from her squadron, armed only with a blaster and combat skills she'd learned secretly as a child, and now crouched as she ran from hut to hut in search of survivors. Storm troopers had flooded the rural villages, ordered to raid the abandoned homes before a final detonation. Pulling a hood of blue silk over brunette waves, Rose climbed through the window of a home after hearing the sound of a faint crash from within. She landed silently on the dirt floor, bending below the window sill as the sound of uniformed stomps approached and passed the hut. Below a table on the opposite side of the room sat a young woman, not much older than Rose, holding a small child. Rose offered a passive smile, and the child hid his face against his mother's side._

_"Your majesty," the woman breathed out, bowing her head to show some sign of formality. Rose held up her hand._

_"There's no need for that," Rose whispered. She glanced towards the child and felt her words halt in her throat. If this war hadn't happened, perhaps her life would more closely resemble this woman's. She would've been married by now, that much was certain. She could still see Robbie's green eyes, dazzling in the sun as he commanded their soldiers, and dark as they snuck away to secret meadows far from the castle. What a life that would've been._   
_Rose paused, standing for one brief moment to spare a glance out of the window, then quickly ran in a crouch to meet the woman and her child on the other side of the room._

_"My husband, I don't know where he went-" the woman whispered frantically. Eve felt a stir in her gut. In an area as heavily occupied as this, disappearances hardly had positive outcomes. Rose struggled to find the words, and the small boy stared up at her, as if searching for a promise. Rose forced a smile._

_"Our soldiers are very capable. They're doing everything they can to find people in the evacuations," Rose said. "For now, I need you to follow my instructions so we can get you both to the nearest ship."_

_"Are the rebels coming?" the woman asked._

_"Yes," she breathed out. The woman nodded, and Eve rose again to look out of the windows. It was clear. A ship landed, not far off, and a mix of air and debris blew through the open window. Rose nodded to the woman, then gestured for her to follow behind as she crept to the door. She nudged it open with her foot and held her blaster to her chest. Together, the small trio left the safety of the hut, darting across open pathways to hide between other huts. Rose caught sight of a familiar cascade of blonde hair. Aska stood behind a hut near the edge of the village, surveying the area as she nervously tapped her finger against her raised blaster. They caught eyes, and Rose quickly guided the mother and son toward her best friend. They stood behind Aska, as gestured, and Aska lowered her blaster._

_"Take them to a ship," Rose ordered. Aska was silent for a moment, watching Rose check the fuel in her blaster._

_"Rose." Her voice was soft, and a hand gingerly touched Rose's arm. Rose's movements slowed, yet stared blankly at the ground._

_"There might be more survivors. I'm going to take one last sweep." Aska's grip tightened._

_"Our last ship is leaving soon."_

_"There might be other survivors," she repeated. She looked up, tears welling up in her fiery eyes._

_"There are survivors all over the planet."_

_"But there might be survivors here and I'm here so I have to help them-"_

_"We can't say everyone." The two girls fell silent, and Aska lowered her voice. "This place is overrun. You'll die if you stay here."_

_"I can fight." Rose pulled her arm out of Aska's hold._

_"The ship can't wait for you."_

_"The rebels are coming. I heard a rebel craft just moments ago."_

_"There haven't been any reports of rebel ships, Rose. They're not going to get here in time." Rose looked back down at the ground. Wind swept by, knocking the hood away from her dirt-streaked face._

_"I was raised to serve my people. I intend, as my father and his father did before him, to serve them until my last minute." She looked up at Aska. "Now get these people to a ship."_

_"Rose-"_

_"That's an order, Aska." Rose said. Aska scowled, and Rose mustered a weak smile. "I'm okay. Now go."_

_Aska was silent, then nodded and began to lead the mother and son away, ducking behind homes and shrubbery when possible. Rose watched for a moment, then turned away and began in the opposite direction. Time escaped her as she peeked in through rounded windows, ears peeled for any signs of life. Then, she heard ships land at either ends of the village. Rose felt her through tighten. She pulled her hood over her hair again and gripped her blaster tightly as she ducked into an abandoned hut, sliding across the floor into an open door. It looked like an old bedroom. The dresser drawers had been pulled out, laying across the floor. Clothes had been strewn about the room. How does one choose which belongings to say goodbye to forever?_

_Footsteps thundered outside the window Rose sat beneath. Her heart hammered against her ribcage. She took shallow breaths through tightly pursed lips, then carefully rose, watching the familiar white suits marching through the abandoned village, their backs all turned to her. She slowly hoisted herself up and over the ledge, landing noiselessly on the dirt road. She spared a glance around her, then began to dash in the opposite direction of the stormtrooper march when the sound of a blast ripped through the air. Everything fell still._

_It was as if time moved in slow motion as energy ripped through Rose's abdomen, sending her tumbling towards the ground. She let out a desperate cry of shock, limbs growing weak as pain slowly spread through her body. She'd never felt this pain before. It only worsened as she bounced against the gravel beneath her, which crunched beneath her curled body. She flung her blaster out, landing a few feet away, and gasped as she reached blindly for her side._

_"Caught another blue hood," said a robotic voice from above her. A foot prodded her wound and she screamed in pain. In seconds, the foot left, and Rose gasped for air. As she was met with the sound of fading footsteps, Rose opened her eyes. The sky above her was grey, and blurred through the tears in her eyes as she sputtered out a weak attempt at a call for help. She gingerly pressed the edges of her fingers to her blaster wound and groaned, drawing blood as she bit her lip. This is it. A red light shot through the sky from above, and Rose slowly pushed herself up._

_It felt as though decades had passed in the time Rose took to drag herself across the ground, leaning against a singed tree. She pulled a knee to her chest and tugged at the fabric on her pants until it ripped, and slowly tied it around her abdomen. As she secured a knot, blood stained the makeshift bandage, and she wrapped two arms around the tree and pushed herself up to stand. Then, Rose began to stumble to the nearest hut. She pushed her hands out, attempting to catch herself on the wall, but her skin scraped against the uneven surface and she fell to her hands and knees. Desperately, she let out a sob, then felt for the wall next to her to try and rise again. Then, she felt a pair of hands gently grab her shoulders. Her eyes shot open, immediately met with a pair of dark eyes just inches away from her own. Rose sucked in a harsh breath, and the face backed away, his hands leaving her skin. A young man offered her an earnest smile._

_"I'm with the resistance," he said. "I'm here to help." Rose stared at him, then nodded slightly with laboured breathing. He reached for her again, but she leaned back and pressed her side against the house. The man frowned._

_"There are houses I haven't checked yet. You need to go see them," Rose said, then lifted a shaking arm in the right direction. It felt limply to her side again. The man shook his head._

_"I'm here to help you," he said._

_"I'm okay." She gulped. "Leave me be."_

_"You're not okay. You can't even stand up on your own."_

_Rose grit her teeth, then gripped onto a ledge in the wall as she slowly pushed herself up into a standing position. The man scrambled to his feet, his dark curls falling across his forehead._

_"Careful," he warned, catching her arms as she began to waver. Rose shook his hands away._

_"I'm fine!" she shouted, but fell forward again. She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact, but failed to hit the ground. Instead, in one quick instant, she was swept up and thrown over his broad shoulder. For a split second, she worried about her blood staining his orange jumpsuit, already streaked with dust and engine oil. Then, her anger began._

_"I'm sorry."_

_"Set me down this instant!" she screamed. "That's an order! Do you know who i am?"_

_"You're not my general!" he called back, then grunted as her foot narrowly missed his face. "I'm sorry, I can't leave you here."_

_"There are other survivors-"_

_"My squadron will find them," the man said. The world began to spin around Rose's head as she watched the old village fall into the distance. She could barely hear the sound of crumbling buildings. An old wooden doll sat discarded in the vacant doorway of an empty home. "It'll be okay, trust me."_

_"You don't understand," Rose pleaded. Tears made clean streaks on her cheeks. "Please, please let me go. I can't leave."_

_"I'm sorry," he said once more. Her sight faded to darkness._

* * *

_When Rose awoke again, she felt blankets and pillows pressed against her, cushioning her on a hard metal floor. Several confused citizens sat around her, both on the floor and on cots. Despite having many injuries amongst their group, they looked at Rose with an air of pity. Rose stared back for a few moments before slowly pushing herself into a seated position, hissing as pain shot through her side once again._

_"My lady," one of them began._

_"It's okay," Rose said. She braced herself, then rose, wavering slightly before regaining her balance. She pushed onwards to a large window, watching a blue horizon come into view. Pristine by all accounts, excluding a red bloom in the very centre of the planet. As Rose reached the window, she pressed a bloodied hand against the pristine surface, and slowly slid to her knees. Tears once again rolled freely down her cheeks. Rose let out a sob, then covered her mouth as she leaned over, her tears dripping onto the floor. She'd failed, and now had to see her planet break into a mess of stardust._

_A familiar hand gently pressed against her back, a shadow falling across her. When she opened her eyes, lifting her head, the man who carried her onto the ship had taken a seat across from her. He tried a sympathetic smile, but when she began to cry again, his face contorted into an expression of panic._

_"It must be difficult." Rose turned away from him, looking out of the window. He grimaced, scratching the back of her neck. The surface of the planet had begun to ripple as the flame bloomed spread outwards._

_"I knew it was coming," she murmured. "Everyone did." The man nodded slightly, his gaze still resting on her face. Then, he followed her example, staring out of the window. Their faces glowed crimson._

_"I'm Poe," the man finally said when the planet became just a marble in the distance. Rose looked down, sniffling as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand._

_"I'm Rose," she said. Her lips parted, as if she were to say more, but felt the words halt in her throat. Her titles were dead now._

_"I'm sorry," he said. "About your home."_

_"It's fine." She waved a hand dismissively. "I suppose I should be thanking you for saving my life." Rose sniffed again, and Poe slowly turned, leaning back against the scratched window._

_"You must be a soldier then?"_

_"Of a sort," she mumbled._

_"You were brave to try and stay back."_

_"Others would call me stupid," Rose said, turning to smile slightly at Poe. Poe returned the smile._

_"People would say I'm the same."_

_"Are you a soldier?"_

_"I'm a pilot," he said._

_"Then who's flying the ship?" she asked. Poe laughed._

_"Touche." Poe leaned back, the back of his head thudding against the glass. Rose's stomach lurched. She was scared enough, being so close to the glass. She could almost picture herself, hurtling through the endless cold of the dark universe. "Someone more qualified's flying this thing. I'll show you my tricks when we get back to base if you want. That is, if you stick around long enough."_

_"Where am I going after?"_

_"I don't know." Poe looked over at the villagers huddled against each other on their cots. "You're always welcome to join us, if you're up for it. Past that, I don't know."_

_As her planet grew invisible to the naked eye, Rose turned her back to Poe and the window, and leaned forward against her folded knees. She hissed in air through clenched teeth, and Poe sat up, gently reaching out to her. He slid around, kneeling over her._

_"Shit, you're still bleeding," Poe said. Rose felt her heart jump, her eyes nervously darting over the watchful villagers._

_"Please, be quiet," she whispered._

_"I can help. I'm not a medic, but-"_

_"No, Poe, I'm fine." Rose stopped his hand as it reached towards the bandage. "I can wait until we land." Their eyes met, then Poe glanced back over his shoulder._

_"Are you sure? I can find somewhere quiet."_

_"This ship isn't very large," Rose said. "It's okay._

_Poe looked over her face again, hesitating before nodding. He began to rise, then Rose's hand reached out. When he saw her outstretched fingers, she withdrew her hand, looking quickly at the ground._

_"I can stay with you, if you want," Poe offered. Rose, still looking at the floor, nodded once, so quickly he almost missed it. Poe nodded again and settled back into his seat, stretching his legs out as she drew hers closer to her chest. Poe leaned back, closing his eyes and folding his hands neatly over his stomach. Rose turned her back to her subjects once again, shuffling her body closer to the window. Then, turning to Poe, she leaned the side of her face against the glass, and watched the pilot rest._

_They sat together in silence, feeling a sense of peace that Rose had not known for over a year now. Even once the ship had landed, Rose remained stationary, though closed her eyes to avoid meeting the gazes of her subjects. Poe, however, opened his to watch her peaceful expression, wondering what she'd meant when she'd demanded he set her down. He'd heard about the blue hoods from other rebels that had been in contact with military officials on the planet during its lockdown. He knew little about them, but her uniform seemed to indicate that she was a member. He thought, given the amount of time that'd passed since he'd first seen her closed eyes, that she'd fallen asleep, but when a dark-haired woman approached with heavy steps, Rose quickly looked up._

_"Dameron, you look like you had fun," the woman said with a smirk. Rose's cheeks flushed._

_"He was assisting me," Rose said, her voice cracking. Poe exchanged a look with the woman._

_"She's only joking. Rose, this is Jessika. Jessika, this is Rose," Poe said. Rose nodded._

_"Are they all gone?" the meek girl asked. Jessika nodded._

_"Yes, the crew's all that's left," she said, slinging a bag over her shoulder. Rose nodded and began to rise, one bloody hand pressed against the window. As Poe stood, Jessika elbowed Poe's arm. "Don't just stand there, Dameron." Poe reached out to her, and Rose slumped back against the glass, her legs shaking as she clutched her side._

_"Don't" she said firmly. "I can do it myself." Poe frowned, then reached out a hand again._

_"You don't have to."_

_Rose paused, her green eyes filling with tears, then nodded slightly. Poe stepped forward and gently wrapped an arm around her middle, and she slid her arm across his shoulders. Together, the two began to make their way toward the exit ramp._

_"I'm sorry for getting blood on your uniform," Rose murmured. Poe laughed._

_"It's fine. If you feel really bad, you can help me clean them later."_

_"Maybe not that bad."_

_"You better come back to help with the bags!" Jessika sang. Poe rolled his eyes._

_"I'm assisting someone in need, Pava!" he called over his shoulder._

_As the sunlight hit, Rose raised an arm, shielding her eyes from the glare of the light. As her vision adjusted, she realized just how crowded the base was. There were barely any gaps between the sobbing and frantic groups of villagers and soldiers wearing the easily distinguished pine green uniforms. As she twisted her neck, trying to find any familiar face in the crowd, her knees buckled below her, and Poe quickly caught her weight._

_"You've lost enough blood, Rose."_

_"I need to find my friends."_

_"You're going to hate me for this, but I need to drag you away." Rose looked up at Poe, who offered a sideways grin. "I promise I'll try to make this the last time." Rose shook her head at first, then felt her head begin to spin. If she looked around much longer, she was sure she'd be sick._

_"Okay," she breathed out. "Take me away."_


	3. The General's Welcome

_Chapter 3_

_The General's Welcome_

Before much could be exchanged between the two, Eve was surrounded by her handmaidens, eager to follow her to speak with the general. Poe watched, his expression falling as Eve's face was lost in the crowd, and watched as she was ushered away. He leaned back against a tool kit, running a hand through his hair as BB-8 let out a series of dejected beeps.

"You'll probably see her later, buddy. She seemed to like you." Pause paused to smile at the droid, then looked up as a group of familiar faces approached.

"Hey, Dameron," L'ulo greeted. Poe nodded a silent greeting and stood, turning his back to his squadron as he pulled an old rag out of his pocket and wiped the engine oil from his hands.

"What do you guys need?" Poe asked, tucking the rag back into his pocket. "It's an off day." He heard Jessika scoff.

"We have flight exercises today. Did you forget?"

"Oh." Poe cleared his throat. "My x-wing's still grounded."

"Whose fault is that?" Jessika asked.

"You must've been distracted when you were working on it this morning," Kare mumbled, nudging L'ulo's arm with her elbow. 

"What?" Poe asked, glancing over his shoulder with a frown.

"Nothing," Kare said, exchanging a smirk with L'ulo. "You were just laughing a lot when we came in. It's hard to focus when you're talking." Poe rolled his eyes, then pointed a finger at Snap.

"Snap, I want you to lead the exercises today. Don't hesitate to go too hard on them."

"Yes, black leader," Snap said, then grinned at his fellow teammates. Poe turned his back again and resumed collecting tools for his engine when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly, then sighed at the sight of Jessika. The others had already gone. As she dropped her hand, he turned away again, slipping the instruments into his pocket.

"What is it, Pava?" Poe asked, climbing up onto the x-wing. Jessika followed, then held out a hand. After a moment, Poe sighed and dropped a wrench into her hand. "You don't have to help me. You should go train with the others."

"I don't need them. I did my exercises last night. I was in the air when the new squadron flew in." She paused, then reached into the engine. "I heard what you said."

"What? The laughter? Kare already told me."

"No, Poe. That's the princess. I remember her."

"Well, I don't," Poe muttered. Jessika sat up, narrowing her eyes at her commander.

"Don't be so deluded. I was there when you met her. I know what happened."

"Did you recognize her?" Poe asked. "I'm not lying when I say I didn't." Jessika hesitated.

"I didn't either, not at first. She's changed."

"Yeah, I guess she dyed her hair," Poe muttered, leaning back down to look at the ship's engine. Jessika sighed.

"No, I mean, it's in the way she stands. I don't know how to explain it. She just acts different."

"I guess. I didn't notice."

"Why are they here?" she asked. "I thought she said-"

"I know what was said, Pava," Poe interrupted. Jessika was silent for a moment, shaking her head.

"What happened to not remembering her?" Jessika asked. She reached into the engine, resuming her work as Poe tightened a gear.

"I don't remember her, not really." Poe paused, glancing up at Jessika. "It was a long time ago. I tried forgetting that whole thing ever happened when she left." 

"Well, I definitely remember chewing you out for sneaking out and coming to training with two hours of sleep."

"Some things never change," Poe joked. "Now, you better help me get this ship fixed up if you want to skip out on training."

"Obviously," Jessika said. "It'll take ages to repair this, though. Maybe by then you'll be over your selective amnesia," she teased. BB-8 beeped in agreement and Poe rolled his eyes.

"Less talking, more working."

"Whatever you say, commander."

* * *

Before Eve could say goodbye to the handsome pilot, she felt several hands at her back, pushing her to follow Leia. As they walked away from Poe, the general was met with greetings and well-wishes while the girls in matching green jumpsuits were regarded with wary smiles and quiet welcomes. 

"We've been very eager for your squadron's arrival," Leia said, glancing over her shoulder at Eve. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No," she said. "I'm okay, though."

"You need sleep."

"General, if I may ask, where are we going?" Eve asked. Leia smiled and looked forward again as Eve began to walk by her side, leaving the pushy hands of her closest friends.

"You'll see," Leia murmured.

Despite the sense of urgency Eve felt, which she largely attributed to the hushed whispers of her squadron following much too closely behind her as she walked alongside Leia down the many halls of the resistance base, it soon became clear that the general didn't have any actual plans for the tired soldier. They finally slowed their pace down a long hallway, lined with identical doors save for numbers identifying each room. Pipes overhead hissed, and the thud of soldiers in training echoed down the hallway. 

"This is your room," Leia said, pausing in front of a door. She typed in a code, which she made sure to show Eve, and the door slid open. "Aska told me you stayed out all night." Eve glanced towards Aska, who shrugged in response.

"I'm not tired," Eve said, looking back at the general. "I'd like to get to work as soon as possible." Leia reached out, gesturing to the room. 

"Let's speak for a minute, Eve." Leia nodded to the other women and they turned, walking down the hall, though Eve suspected they wouldn't stray too far from Aska who leaned against the wall opposite to Eve's room. Leia entered the barren room first, following closely by Eve. When the door slid shut, Leia breathed a sigh of relief. "They're very dedicated."

"Yes, they are," Eve murmured. "Sometimes I forget we're not home anymore with the way they act." She looked up at the general and allowed her mask to fall, revealing a weary smile. Leia smiled and grasped her by the shoulders, taking a moment to look over Eve's battle-hardened features. 

"You've grown so much since I last saw you," Leia murmured. "You look so much like your mother, now. You have your father's attitude, though." Leia let her arms fall as Eve cast her eyes towards the floor, feeling her gut twist at the reminder of her family. "You really need to rest. You can't stay up every night like this."

"I don't usually."

"Good, I don't want to see this becoming a habit of yours. When you're not working, I need you to spend every second resting. Okay?" Eve nodded slightly.

"Okay," she murmured. Leia nodded. She was quiet for a moment, watching Eve walk further into the empty room. 

"Poe was a good choice," Leia noted. Eve tried to hide her shock as she turned slowly to look at Leia.

"What?"

"To welcome you to the base. He's a good pilot, if you ever need flight lessons."

"I'm better suited for the ground," Eve said. Leia smiled and nodded, then left the room, leaving Eve in her solitude. 

After checking in with Aska and retrieving the bag she'd brought with her, which Serena had taken when they left the hangar as Eve left it in her rush to follow the general, Eve spent most of the day sleeping in her new bunk. Despite their constant movement between resistance bases, Eve tried her best to spend some time on organization, folding her clothes and sliding them into drawers and the cramped closet she was given. Aska almost always left her clothes packed in bags, excluding jumpsuits and uniforms she wore daily. They often argued about how helpful it was to settle in. Eve needed it, to find some sense of routine, but it was hard for her to ignore the impermanence of their assignments, which often led to empty walls and night stands. 

When Eve finally emerged from her room after eight hours spent on rest and organization, now dressed in a pristine white dress that fell to her knees, only Aska leaned against the opposite wall in waiting. Eve's lips parted slightly in shock before she cleared her throat, gently patting her hair. She'd spent an hour trying to braid it, inspired by her former mentor, but grew frustrated and gave up, settling for a lopsided, caramel twist that fell across her right shoulder. 

"Where are the others?" Eve asked, glancing around. Unlike earlier, when the halls had been filled with resistance members preparing for another day of endless work, the halls were empty, save for a few tired members in half-undone uniforms shuffling into their rooms.

"They're in the meal hall," Aska said, her arms crossed over a similar white dress. "I told them not to wait." Eve nodded slightly, and the two began their walk down the hall. "Are you surprised?" she asked. Eve glanced over at Aska and nodded once.

"Yes. They're usually more timid."

"Well, this base isn't quite like any others we've been on," she said. Eve hummed in agreement. "Of course, this isn't the work we're used to."

"We'll adjust," Eve said quickly. Aska scoffed.

"They're certainly enjoying testing out their new freedoms."

"It's a good thing."

"Of course it's a good thing. I just don't know how long it'll be before we have to go back to the way that things were. It's not wise to get so comfortable."

"You of all people should know better than to lecture me about this," Eve said, though her tone was light. 

"I'm not lecturing you." Aska paused. "But no one else will listen. They're going to get distracted if they get too used to this, and they'll be upset when we have to leave.

"They'll be okay, Aska. They're grown women," Eve said. They reached the end of the wing, and the doors hissed as they slid open. Eve paused to look at her friend. "Let me worry about our squadron."

"Your job isn't to worry." The two girls continued on their walk. "You have enough to worry about as it is."

"It isn't your job, either," Eve said.

"That's exactly my job, Rose," Aska muttered, shaking her head. Eve grimaced.

"Well, that's not your job here. It hasn't been your role since we left home," she said. She considered joking about how neither of them had been the type to worry at one time, but her thoughts were silenced by the sound of a dull roar from the end of the hall. Aska looked over at Eve's lily-white expression and her stern, pursed lips spread into a grin. "What is that?" Eve asked.

"The meal hall," Aska said. "I told you it's different from what we're used to."

The two girls walked into the lively, open space. As Eve looked around, green eyes searching for a familiar face amongst the chaos, Aska gently guided her into line for the buffet line. She handed Eve a tray and raised an eyebrow at the distracted brunette.

"What are you looking for?" Aska asked. Eve's gaze continued to wander the space, pausing on groups of soldiers and crew members sitting around tables and laughing at shared stories. The sounds of crashing metal dishes interrupted the laughter and shouts of resistance members every once in a while. Eve finally looked back as Aska spooned some food onto Eve's place.

"I can do that myself," she murmured, her cheeks burning as she noticed the gazes of those close in line. She began to shuffle along, following Aska's steps with each dish.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Eve asked. She grabbed a bun from a basket on the buffet counter line.

"What were you looking for?" Aska asked. Eve's lips parted, as if she were affronted by the accusation. "Oh, come on, don't be so daft."

"I wasn't looking for anything," she said.

"Oh, come on, don't even pretend you can lie to me." Aska paused as the two left the line, and the blonde leaned closer to Eve, lowering her voice. "Was it the pilot?"

"Oh, shut up," Eve said, smiling as she shook her head. "I was looking for our squadron. Where are they?"

"I have no clue," Aska muttered. She lifted her chin, looking around the room, and walked straight into another resistance member that had tried running in front of them at the last second. Aska cursed as her tray fell against her chest, and the woman she bumped into crouched to catch Aska's falling metal plate.

"Hey, sorry about that," the woman said, offering an earnest smile. She reached out and took the plate back, her cheeks turning pink.

"It's okay," she murmured, then watched the pilot jog away to meet her friends. Aska turned to look at Eve, grey sop sliding down the front of her pristine dress.

"Well, you did say we need to wear more colour," Eve said, gesturing to Aska's front. Aska rolled her eyes, grinning.

"Whatever," Aska said. She glanced around the hall. "I'm going to change. Find a seat, I'll be back soon." Eve nodded and remained still as she watched Aska leave the dining hall.

Suddenly, abandoned in the noisy space, Eve felt hopelessly lost. She wished she'd worn her jumpsuit, to blend in and avoid the eyes that seemed to follow her around the room. Deciding to follow Aska's instruction for once, she took a deep breath and began to walk through the crowds. She stepped around various boisterous groups and found an empty table. Eve slid into a seat and looked up. Everyone had someone to talk to. Aska would be back soon, she knew, yet it didn't stop her heart from hammering in her chest. Eve sighed and picked up her fork, gently poking at the meal in front of her. She wasn't hungry. It was hard to find an appetite these days.

* * *

Poe walked into the meal hall, surrounded by his squadron. After completing their exercises, they'd joined Poe and Jessika at his x-wing, but little work was completed as Snap decided to tell Poe about the funny antics they'd gotten into while in the air, which included a race with another flight squadron. As they entered the busy line, Snap suddenly jostled Poe, almost knocking the tray out of his hands.

"Hey!" Poe protested, his eyes wide as he turned to look at his grinning teammates. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, genius, it's the girl," Jessika muttered, punching Poe's arm. Poe looked around quickly.

"What? Where?"

"There," Oddy said, pointing to an empty table in the middle of the hall. Poe followed his reach and frowned. Her discomfort was obvious, her eyes glued to her food. Poe quickly pushed past Jessika, rushing to fill his plate.

"You going to talk to her?" L'ulo asked. Poe glanced up at them and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

"Poe," Jessika began, but Poe shook his head.

"She's alone, guys. I just want to check in and see how she's doing. I'm sure she's overwhelmed."

"Sure, Dameron. Good luck," Kare hummed, and Poe gave them one last grin before approaching Eve.

* * *

"I promise it's better than it looks," said a voice from the opposite side of her table. Eve looked up with widened eyes, cheeks flushing at the sight of Poe holding an identical tray. He grinned at her and gestured a hand over her table. "Can I sit with you?"

Eve paused. Aska would be back soon, she thought, and the rest of her squadron was due any moment now. She wanted to say no, to detangle herself further from a man that already had her closest friends questioning her motives, but found herself nodding to him. He slid into the spot across from her then began to pick at his bun as he watched Eve cautiously try her grey sludge, doing everything she could to avoid his gaze.

"So, how are you liking the base so far?" Poe asked between bites. Eve shrugged. She spooned a few more mouthfuls into her mouth, then set her fork down, folding her arms on top of the table.

"I've been asleep most of the day, so I haven't seen much," she said, looking up at the pilot. "I've been to a lot of bases, but none have really felt like this one from what I can tell. This work isn't what I'm really used to."

"What work?"

"Well, you know, real action. We did a lot of spy work before this, but there's an increased need for soldiers. It's been a long time since any of my squadron's done that type of work," Eve explained. Poe nodded. He could still see her on the day they first met, face covered in dust as she crawled through the streets of an abandoned village to fight for a planet she'd already lost. Eve ran a hand over her torso, feeling the ghost of the pain she'd once felt, and cleared her throat. "I'm not sure how this placement's going to go, given that we aren't entirely prepared."

"But do you like the base?" Poe asked. Eve paused to think.

"I don't know. I don't feel any particular way about it."

"Well, I'll get you to come around," Poe joked. Just past her shoulder, he could see his squadron gathering around a nearby table to watch Poe's exchange with the former queen. 

"Why are you sitting with me?" Eve suddenly asked. Poe pulled his gaze away from his grinning teammates to look at her wide, green eyes. She looked lost, just as lost as she had when he'd known her before. The confidence he'd seen that morning had melted away. Now, it was easier to see her for the girl he knew before. "I saw your friends walk past us. Don't you want to sit with them?"

"I see them everyday." He shrugged. "I felt like our conversation earlier got cut short. I thought it'd be nice to keep talking." Eve nodded slightly and looked back at her food.

"Is it always this loud in here?" she asked. 

"Around this time, yeah," he said. He watched her push her tray away and stand, brushing off non-existent crumbs from the front of her dress. "Oh, are you done?"

"Yeah," Eve said quietly.

"You didn't eat much."

"I'm not hungry." She glanced around, her jaw clenched.

"I can take you on a walk and show you more of the base if you want. It'll be pretty quiet, nothing like this," Poe offered, standing up as well. Eve shook her head as her shoulders tensed. It was impossible to ignore the stares she'd been getting since she sat down, which she'd tried to do before Poe sat down. The stares only increased tenfold when he joined her. Their whispers only seemed to grow as they talked about the former princess, what she wore and how she acted. Eve felt tears well up in her eyes and she blinked them away, her expression hardening. 

"It's okay." She walked past Poe, then turned to glance at him before the distance between them grew too much. "Thank you for the company."

As Eve walked away, her pristine, white dress standing out amongst the crowd of soldiers and mechanics alike, all laughing off a day of work, Poe's friends approached the stunned pilot. Jessika grasped his shoulder, and Kare whistled. Poe shook off their back pats of consolation and rolled his eyes.

"Don't act like that, guys. I was just trying to be friendly."

"What happened there?" Jessika asked, nudging Poe's arm as he picked up his tray. The others had already moved on, laughing at a joke Snap had made about Poe's luck. 

"I don't know," Poe murmured. "I think she was just overwhelmed."

"Well, are you gonna come join us now? Or do you have someone else to go be friendly with?" Jessika asked. Poe smiled and shook his head.

"I think I'm going to head out. I'm not really hungry."

"Poe," Jess said, her tone one of warning. Poe shook his head again.

"It's fine, I'm really not hungry. I think they just mixed leftovers together tonight. There's a big meeting tomorrow anyways, I should go get rest."

"Make sure you actually go to bed, then. I don't want to hear that you stayed up all night working on your junk ship," Jessika muttered. Poe grinned.

"Once I'm done working on it, it won't be junk anymore. Besides, the princess sure seemed to like it," he said, mimicking a pompous accent. Jessika rolled her eyes as she scoffed.

"Whatever, Poe. She didn't seem that interested in the ship when I saw her. You must be really stupid if you think that's why she was talking to you." Poe laughed and shook his head, then began towards the door.

"Night, Pava!" he called over his shoulder. It was time to work on his ship.


	4. A Midnight Stroll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should be the last full-on flashback chapter for a while, I hope. I just thought it would be a good parallel with the previous chapter. Any feedback's appreciated, and I hope you guys enjoy :)

_Chapter 4_

_A Midnight Stroll_

_Poe and Rose began the steady walk to the infirmary given her permission, with her arm slung lazily over his shoulder as he all but carried her. Then, she began to stumble, her feet dragging along the ground. She'd grown increasingly pale since they'd disembarked from the ship. Soldier and other rescued citizens began to stare, and Rose groaned as she reached behind her head for the hood she used in battle._

_"Hey, Rose," Poe murmured, leaning down so his lips were next to her ear. "Let me carry you." Rose paused, her breathing growing more laboured as her free hand clutched at her side, her feet scuffing against the ground. Then, she nodded slightly, eyes cast towards the ground. Poe crouched down slightly, then scooped her into her arms. He wasn't going to make the mistake of throwing her over his shoulder again. He didn't mind the fact that the shoulder of his jumpsuit had been soaked with blood, but his arms were bruised from trying to hold her kicking legs still._

_"Thank you," Rose whispered. Poe lifted her hood and covered her eyes, nodding._

_"It's what I do," he said with a grin. Then, careful not to waste any more time on charming small talk, Poe began to jog through the crowd. Each time his feet landed upon the earth, Rose held back groans of agony, but her pain was evident as she dug her fingers into Poe's arm. While he was trying his best to stay calm, Poe had begun to visibly panic. He hadn't realized how much blood she'd actually lost. "You know," Poe said with breathy laughter, finally entering a sheltered space. Rose hummed. "You're good at lying."_

_"What?" She asked through gritted teeth, then groaned as Poe skidded his feet while turning a corner, narrowly missing a bandaged pilot. Poe assumed he was trying to get back to the ships. The base was on high alert due to a multitude of rescues. Poe shouted an apology over his shoulder, then grinned down at Rose as her shaking hands pulled her hood away from her eyes. She squinted under the artificial light._

_"You said you were fine," he began. "You told me you didn't need any help. Now I can see that was a load of crap."_

_"I didn't want to get stitched in front of my people."_

_"What's the big deal about that?"_

_"I was embarrassed, and I didn't want to worry anyone. They didn't need to see more damage," Rose muttered after a moment considering his question. "Besides, I haven't been hit like that before. I didn't realize it would be this bad." She let out a yelp as Poe turned, slamming his shoulder into a pair of swinging metal doors. The sounds of beeping monitors and other groaning patients suddenly interrupted their conversation. A droid came rushing forward, accompanied by a floating stretcher. Poe carefully set Rose down._

_"Got here in the knick of time," he said with a smile, watching as a nurse droid began to peel fabric away from Rose's wound. Her closed fist slammed against the metal surface of the stretcher as her legs kicked, and she held back a scream, her eyes filled with tears. Her hood had fallen back, and her dusty brown hair fanned out across the sterile white surface. Her green eyes shone under the bright, fluorescent lights._

_"Can you come with me?" Rose asked, her voice wavering as her gaze found Poe, who watched the scene warily. He glanced at the droid, which shook its head._

_"I'm not allowed to. I'll wait for you, though," he said. Rose was silent for a moment, the nodded, and the droid pushed her stretcher down a hallway that began just before the curtained recovery space. Once she was out of sight, no longer able to see his reassuring grin, Poe sat down in one of the empty chairs lining the entrance of the infirmary. Poe waited there for almost an hour until Jessika slammed through the doors, eyes wide as she searched the ward for Poe. When she spotted him fiddling with a hole he's gotten in his jumpsuit, Jessika sighed and marched forward._

_"Dameron, I need your help in the landing zone."_

_"I can't, not right now."_

_"Why? you aren't doing anything," she exclaimed, waving her hands around the practically empty waiting room. Poe sighed._

_"I told the girl from earlier that I'd wait for her, so I can see her when she's done getting patched up."_

_"Why would you do that?"_

_"She's alone," Poe said, lowering his voice. Jessika's frown disappeared, and was replaced by a sympathetic grimace._

_"Well, you don't have to worry about that right now, Poe. I was told the general would be in to see her soon. Now come on, she's a blue hood. She can handle herself."_

_"I just feel bad. She looked scared." He glanced down the hall again. It was odd that it was taking her so long to emerge._

_"Yeah, of course she is. Most of those people have never left their planet before. There's so much chaos out there right now. Their planet just got blown up! Everyone's scared, that's why I need your help. She's being taken care of. You'll see her at dinner, if you really want to apologize. I don't think she'll care, though," Jessika said. Poe sighed and nodded begrudgingly, slowly rising to his feet. Then, he followed her out of the infirmary, hoping the timid soldier would forgive him for his absence upon waking up._

_As Poe worked with his squadron, helping newcomers around the base and relaying information to higher ups about how the rescue mission had gone, Poe's mind began to wander to the girl holed up in the infirmary. Her wound had been bad, though he'd seen much worse. He was sure she'd recover in time for dinner. By the time the meal bell rang, signalling to those in the hangar that the meals had been prepared, Poe stood up from his seat and grabbed Jessika's arm, pulling her along with him in the peak of dinner rush._

_"Poe!" Jessika called out in protest. They usually tried to wait an hour or so, until the meal hall had slowed down a little._

_"I don't want to go alone!" Poe explained. Jessika laughed, in spite of her shock, and picked up her feet so that she could jog alongside the pilot. When they reached the crowded meal hall, Poe stood at the entrance and lifted his heels, looking around the space that was slowly filling up. The girl's presence was noticeably absent. Poe's smile fell._

_"She might come later," Jessika offered. Poe nodded halfheartedly. "Let's just get dinner first. Then we can wait and see," she added, then pulled him towards the growing line. They got their dinner as hastily as they could, and Poe fidgeted throughout the meal, listening only rarely to the conversation his squadron was having around him. After they all gradually left him to go drink off a day of good work or sleep in their rooms to prepare for another equally as gruelling day, Poe remained seated._

_He sat alone, waiting for hours until the meal hall was almost entirely empty. The lights had begun to dim for the night. It was rare for the base to be so quiet at night. War didn't have a timed schedule, and the hangar was often welcoming back soldiers and pilots returning from various missions. However, their base was small, and the almost the entire fleet had participated in the rescue of survivors from Roirutea. As a couple sat at the back of the room, discussing the events of the day in hushed whispers over hands clasped at the centre of the table, Poe stood up, his chair scraping back against the floor, and left the room. He wandered down the empty hallways, smiling as those that he passed until he reached the infirmary. A nurse droid stood at the counter by the chair Poe had been sitting in, shifting through various pages about the patients of the day._

_"Hi," Poe greeted. He wiped his palms on his pants. "I brought a girl here earlier. Her name was Rose. Is she still here?"_

_"No," the droid answered after giving Poe a once over. "The general had her moved to room 43 in the west wing following her procedure." Poe nodded._

_"Thanks," he said breathlessly, then turned and walked as quickly away as he could without looking like a mad man. He speed-walked down the hall and broke into a light jog until he made it down the west wing residential area of the base. He tried to keep his breathing as level as he could until he reached the door, and the tall, headstrong pilot found his palms hopelessly sweaty as he knocked on its smooth surface. A few seconds passed and he knocked again. Before Poe could raise his hand once more, the door slid open. Rose stood in the doorway, and Poe would be lying if he said he recognized her immediately._

_While her eyes were still as remarkably intense as they were in the day, she looked noticeably softer. She was dressed in a plain, white nightgown that draped across her body from her chest, covering her arms but leaving her shoulders bare. Her dark brown locks cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, and a white ribbon tied into a neat, looping bow held it loosely together at the nape of her neck. Her face, clear of dirt, held only mild scratches to remind Poe of what had happened earlier that day, accompanied by small cuts sustained earlier in the week, he assumed. A tiny scar ran across her cheek bone; he hadn't even noticed it earlier. A smattering of freckled rested across the bridge of her nose, and halted at cheeks that turned rosy at the sight of Poe. Almost immediately, Rose's expectant smile dropped. She turned around, but left the door open as if to silently allow Poe access to the room. He stepped in cautiously and waved the door shut, then followed her deeper into the small living quarters. He leaned against the wall, and Rose began to clean up the counter next to her bed. It was virtually empty, holding just her torn uniform along with a blaster and a rudimentary lightsaber hilt._

_"You're good at lying," Rose suddenly said. She picked up her blaster and glanced at Poe, then carefully set it down in the drawer beside her bed._

_"Huh?" he asked, broken from his trance. Rose looked back at him again._

_"You said you'd be there," she said. Poe grimaced, and watched as she resumed her cleaning._

_"I'm sorry. I wanted to stay! But Jessika told me she needed my help. I was told that the general would be there."_

_"She was there," Rose said. "She told me that I could find you at dinner." Poe stood up, his shoulder leaving the support of the wall. "I wasn't hungry, though. I'd hoped my friends would be here by now."_

_"Listen, Rose, I want to make it up to you," he said. Rose shut the drawer and turned around, leaning back against the counter, and smiled._

_"I was only teasing you, Poe. I'm not angry. Thank you for your help. That was good enough. Truthfully, I haven't been the most gracious participant in your rescue attempt."_

_"Oh." He nodded. "Well, I guess I should leave you to sleep." Rose looked down. "Unless you aren't tired?"_

_"I'm not," she said, smiling slightly as she looked back up at him. "I was just going to wait for my friends to arrive."_

_"Alone?" Poe asked. She nodded. "Well, if you're feeling okay, I could show you around the base while you wait. It'd be a really good time to do it, since there shouldn't be too many people out tonight. There's a river, not too far from here. It's just over a hill and through some trees. I could fly us there."_

_"No flying, please," Rose said, giving a breathy laugh. "I can walk, though."_

_"Are you sure?" he asked, eyes falling to her stomach. Rose nodded and sat down on the bed, pulling on some white slippers. Then she stood, taking a deep breath as she ran a hand over the wound, flattening the fabric against her skin._

_"Yeah, it feels great. I can barely feel it when I touch it," she said. She walked up to Poe and brought forth another smile. Poe returned it readily. "Shall we go?" she asked. Poe nodded, and the two left her room, standing side by side._

_They walked mostly in silence. When they did speak, Poe did the majority of it, describing the parts of the base that they passed with the occasional small tale to make her laugh. He also gave her beginners' tips; things like always get dinner an hour late, that way you can always find a table. In the frigid night, their fingers brushed against each other with every few steps, and the glow of her pink cheeks was unmistakable in the dim moonlight. When they finally reached the river he'd spoke about, Rose paused and slipped out of her slippers at the edge of the clearing. The water was lined with bioluminescent flowers, and the water glowed blue under the full moon. The woods had few trees, and their presence stopped far from the lazy stream ahead of them._

_"After good missions, people walk to the end and swim in a big pool at the end of this," Poe said. Rose nodded, then bent down and picked up her shoes._

_"Will you show me?" she asked. Poe grinned._

_"Of course."_

_He followed the brunette to the edge of the water and walked alongside her. They stole glances at each other, but looked away each time their eyes locked, cheeks burning pink in the night. Rose smiled, her gaze falling to the ground._

_"You changed clothes," Rose noted. "I almost didn't recognize you without your orange jumpsuit."_

_"Well, I appreciated having your design on it," he began, "but Jessika insisted that this look would probably be more presentable." He waved his hands, gesturing to the black t-shirt and brown leather jacket, and Rose shook her head, smiling. Then, her smile fell, her brows furrowing in deep thought._

_"I'm sorry I've been such a burden," she said. "It wasn't fair for me to ask you to wait for me. I hope you didn't worry."_

_"I didn't," he said. Then he bit his lip. "Well, maybe a little. You aren't a burden, though. I know how scary it can be to be thrust into a world you aren't really familiar with, as brave as your group might be."_

_"My group?" she asked. Poe cleared his throat, head rising to his cheeks._

_"I assumed you were a member of the blue hoods? We've heard about that group fighting in your planet's war. When the first group of pilots were sent to your planet a couple of weeks ago, they kept mentioning the girls in the blue cloak-things. I guess it caught on."_

_"Oh," Rose breathed out. "I wasn't aware we had a name."_

_"I guess someone should've consulted you guys before calling you anything," Poe joked. Rose laughed._

_"I doubt we could have come up with anything better," she said. Rose paused, then took a deep breath. When Rose finally lifted her chin to look at him, Poe was already gazing down at her, and they exchanged a smile. "Thank you, though, for trying so hard to help me."_

_"It's no problem," Poe said. "One day you can pay me back."_

_"Of course, I intend you," she said with a smile. She cast her eyes towards the water._

_"How did you end up here?" Rose asked. "In the resistance, I mean."_

_"I used to be a pilot in the new republic."_

_"The new republic," Rose repeated, the corners of her lips lifting. "My father wasn't a fan."_

_"Neither was I. That's why I left. I'm still kind of new here, though." He paused. "My parents used to be rebels. My mom actually knew Luke Skywalker. So when I realized that the resistance was reforming and needed help, I just thought it made sense." Rose nodded, and Poe watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "What about you? Why did you become a soldier?"_

_"It was the only thing that I could do," Rose said. Poe nodded. A breeze ran across the water and Rose shivered, pulling her arms closer to herself._

_"Are you cold?" Poe asked._

_"I'm okay," Rose said, and Poe began to shrug off his brown leather jacket. "Poe, you have to stop trying to help me. I feel bad."_

_"Don't feel bad. I'm too hot anyways," he winked playfully. "Besides, friends help each other," he added, then draped the coat across her bare shoulders._

_"You don't know me," Rose murmured. "We aren't friends." Poe placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded._

_"Ouch. I know your name's Rose. I know you're a soldier." He paused. "I also know that you like walking bare foot in grass." Rose laughed and shook her head._

_"That's fair," she conceded. "But I don't know anything about you."_

_"Just ask. I'm an open book." Rose was quiet for a moment._

_"Is that Jessika girl your girlfriend?" she asked. "She seems very sweet." Poe scoffed._

_"No, she's not my girlfriend. She's a really good friend, though," he said. He cleared his throat. "And are you seeing anyone?" He looked over at her as she stared at the ground, avoiding his gaze as her cheeks flushed._

_"No," she said. "I was for a while, but the war brought it to an end."_

_"I'm sorry," Poe said. Her pinky finger brushed against his, and lingered for a moment as she shook her head. Then she pulled her hand away, opting instead to pull his coat closer around her body._

_"It's okay." She looked over at him and smiled slightly. "You can't dwell on the things that hurt you because they get in the way of your responsibilities."_

_"That's bleak."_

_"That's what my parents taught me," she said. "They died over a year ago."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"It's okay," she said again. "I miss them very much, but I can't bring them back with my tears. What about you? Is your family still alive?"_

_"My dad is," he said. "My mom died when I was a kid."_

_"I'm sorry to hear that."_

_"I am, too."_

_As the two approached the still, glowing pool at the end of the lazy river, Rose dropped her shoes on the ground and approached the edge._

_"Are you going to swim?" Poe asked incredulously. Rose laughed._

_"Of course not. I just want to dip my feet in." He watched as she slowly sat at the water's edge, then dangled her feet over the rock wall which separated the forest floor from the water. After a few moments, Poe took off his shoes and rolled up his pants, then sat beside her. The water was cool, though it was bearable, and Poe sighed in relief._

_"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Rose murmured, swirling her feet in the water. "My home's gone. Just a week before the attack, the palace army started evacuating our people to safe zones throughout the galaxy. I don't know if we're just meant to rebuild and start over."_

_"You know," Poe began after a pause, "the resistance would welcome you with open arms. You seem...determined."_

_"That's a polite way of calling me stupid," Rose said. Poe laughed._

_"Well, that's what my friends call me. There's nothing wrong with it. If anything, the resistance needs more of it," he said. Rose nodded and tilted her head back, staring up at the moon._

_"I don't know," she murmured._

_"You don't have to know right now. Just think about it, okay?"_

_"Okay," Rose said. "I'll think about it."_

_"Who knows, you might be the general one day," Poe joked. Rose smiled, looking over at him._

_"So, I'd be your boss?"_

_"Oh shoot, yeah, I didn't even think about that."_

_"I'll share the role with you. You can be the general in the sky. I'll stay on the ground."_

_"That sounds like the perfect arrangement," he said, then stuck out his right hand. "You have to promise, though, so I know you won't try to pull a fast one on me. Promise?" he asked. Rose smiled, then slid her hand into his. It was cool, like the night air that rushed around them._

_"I promise," she said._

* * *

After leaving the meal hall, Poe returned to the hangar. It was a busy night, with pilots and soldiers alike returning from a mission that had begun a month prior. He worked amongst the chaos of the new returns, tinkering with his ship's engine, until BB-8 finally persuaded him to go take a nap with just six hours left before the first big meeting with the new recruits. Poe walked slowly down the darkened wing lined with doors to identical living quarters. As he walked down the hall, he remembered the stillness in his old base as he walked to pick up a scared soldier for a midnight walk. While these thoughts swirled in his mind, a door at the end of the hall opened.

Eve emerged in a flowing white nightgown, similar to the one she'd worn years ago. He assumed she was going to find a snack; perhaps she'd listened to his advice about visiting the meal hall long after dinner had ended. She paused, their eyes locking as her door slid shut behind her, and her cheeks flushed. Poe smiled. For a moment, she smiled, too. Then, Poe turned his back and disappeared inside of his room. There wasn't much time to rest before the next briefing. Like the former queen had once implied before, it didn't help to dwell. 


	5. The Proposal

_Chapter 5_

_The Proposal_

_"Rose, we have to go," Aska murmured. Eve dropped her chin and Aska pulled her into an embrace, running a hand over Eve's unkempt, wavy hair, hair that previous servants had given up on attempting to control._

_"Are you sure?" Eve whispered. "I haven't said goodbye yet."_

_"The pilot won't wait any longer."_

_Eve fell silent, and Aska slowly pulled back. There was a shuffling noise as Aska lifted her bag off of the ground, then a hand grasped Eve's shoulder._

_"Rose."_

_Eve remained silent._

_"Roseyve. Eve, get up."_

_Eve lifted her head with a frown. This wasn't right._

_"Come on, Eve, get up!"_

"Eve, for kriff's sakes, get up!"

Eve opened her eyes, then groaned, met by the glaring sight of Aska flipping every switch in the room. Serena sat on the edge of the bed, gently shaking Eve's shoulder. Eve batted her friend's hand away and pulled her pillow over her head.

"'s too bright," Eve muttered. Aska scoffed, then pulled the sheets off of Eve. With a sigh, Eve tossed her pillow to the side and sat up, resting her elbows on bent knees.

"You have to fix that later," Eve said. Aska rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

"Has anyone ever told you how graceful you are when you wake us up?" Eve mused. The rest of their squadron, it seemed, had filed into her room to join in on the wake up call. Mai, a dark-haired girl leaning against the bed opposite of Eve's bed, exchanged a smirk with her commander.

"I told her the same thing," Mai said.

"Well, you'd both sleep in without me," Aska muttered as she drew the curtains. Then, she moved across the room and began to root through Eve's dresser.

"Well, I've been awake for hours. I don't know why you two have such a hard time waking up at a reasonable hour," Serena said, grinning as she locked eyes with Eve. Eve had known Serena almost as long as she'd known Aska. At one point, they'd been a trio of troublemakers that the castle staff knew well. Lin, who was busy braiding her own hair in the mirror on the wall, let out a laugh.

"You're so bad at lying," Lin said. Freya, who had perched on the end of Eve's bed with crossed legs, shook her head.

"Surprisingly, it's not a lie this time," Freya said. "I was up early, too."

"Thank you!" Serena exclaimed.

"Well, that's suspicious," Mai mused, her eyes sparkling behind a thick curtain of bangs. Aska, who'd been silent throughout the exchange, walked to the side of the bed and held out a white dress to Eve, similar to the ones that each member of their squadron had already dressed in. 

"Thank you," Eve said as she took the dress from Aska's hand.

"Well, do be quick, we're already running late on our first day."

"I'm sure everyone on this base runs late," Lin mumbled. She reached up, scratching at the intricate, white blossom that had been painted along her cheekbone. Eve assumed that Freya had painted the signature designs onto the girls' faces this morning. _Tradition was integral_. Eve preferred to paint her own, which often left her looking much simpler compared to the other girls, but she preferred this. 

"It's still not a good look to be late," Aska said. "We can't get too-"

"Too comfortable, we know," Freya said.

"Besides, we're always late," Serena added. "It's not like it's a new habit of ours." Aska sighed, then looked to Eve for support. Moments like these often made Eve forget her role in the group. 

"Okay, you should all go," Eve said. Aska narrowed her eyes, and Serena leaned back. "I'm not kicking you out, don't act so affronted. I just don't think it's useful for you to all wait here for me. If we want to make a good impression, the rest of you can get there on time, and I'll rush down after you."

"Sounds fine with me," Mai said, standing up from the desk. Aska watched as the members of their squadron rose and headed towards the door. Serena hung back, then waved for Aska to join them.

"I'll be fine, Aska. I'm not completely helpless," Eve said as she rose from her bed. Aska pursed her lips, then nodded before joining Serena's side. When the door finally hissed shut, Eve began her morning routine.

First, she changed into the uniform, white dress, which ended just above her knees and left her arms bare. In the bathroom, she braided her caramel hair into a simple twist that rested on her shoulder, knowing better than to attempt a style that closer matched the intricate styles her friends had worn. Then, she produced a small, metal tin from a drawer under the sink, unscrewing the top. The former queen then dripped three fingers in and smeared the white paint from the space below the front of her eyebrow to her temple, leaving her eyelid two thirds covered by this paint. Once she repeated this pattern on the other eye, she ran her thumb down her bottom lip, leaving a stripe of white paint behind, as if a ghost had captured her in a chaste, goodbye kiss. 

Eve had mastered the art of subtle fast-walking over the years, and she took complete advantage of this as she desperately tried to get to her first meeting on time. Of all the girls, Eve was probably the most punctual. Her father had stressed its importance when she was younger, running at his heels to his next meeting. She always tried to be early, too, to his meetings with the general, thought it would be a lie for her to say it was because of a keen interest in foreign affairs. She did always have a problem with sleeping in, but it made her an expert at speeding through simple routines.

However, despite Eve's propensity to be on time despite all odds, she couldn't escape the fact that she wasn't entirely aware of where the command room was located. Eve cursed under her breath as she reached the opening of the hangar, one of the few spots on base she felt she was familiar with, and spun around to try and gain a sense of her surroundings. It wasn't helping, though, and she knew that the compound was nearly endless in size. It'd take a great deal of luck to find it on her own. 

"Eve?" A voice said. Eve sighed, then slowly turned back towards the hangar opening.

"Poe," Eve greeted, nodding once. He was wearing his signature orange jumpsuit, and BB-8 rolled at his side. BB-8 beeped an enthusiastic greeting. "Hello, BB-8," Eve added with a smile. She looked back up at Poe, and blushed under his steady gaze. His eyes flickered over her.

"I almost didn't recognize you," Poe noted. Eve's brows furrowed and he waved his hand over his face. "Y'know, with this whole look."

"Oh."

"Not that it's a bad thing! It looks cool," Poe said. He cleared his throat. "So what are you doing out here? I saw your squadron walk past earlier."

"Yes, well, I have a meeting to attend."

"And you're lost," Poe guessed. Eve paused, then nodded slightly.

"Yes, I am."

"So, I take it you didn't sneak out last night to do some exploring?" Poe asked. Eve narrowed her eyes, and Poe threw up his hands in premature surrender. Before he could say anything, her lips curved up into a smile, and she shook her head.

"Well, I guess the exploring that I did wasn't very helpful, not that it's any business of yours," Eve said. Poe grinned, and she cleared her throat, looking away. "Would either of you happen to know where the central command room is?" Eve asked. BB-8 beeped happily.

"Yeah, we can show you the way. We have some work to do around there anyways, right BB-8?" Poe said. BB-8 beeped in agreement, although slowly, as if he didn't quite understand. Eve looked back at the dark-haired pilot and raised an eyebrow, but Poe waved a dismissive hand. "Don't mind him, he's just messing around. C'mon, it's this way," Poe said, waving a hand as he began to make his way down the hall Eve had just come down. The former queen blushed and nodded as she quickly jogged to catch up with him.

"Thank you," Eve said once she'd reached his side, slowing her step. Poe shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm headed that way anyways."

"For what?"

"Top secret stuff," Poe said, winking as he caught Eve's eye. Her cheeks flushed. "It's confidential."

"Of course," she said. "How could I forget?"

"You seem a lot less stressed today," Poe said, before too much silence could settle between them. Eve scoffed.

"What?"

"You just seemed tense yesterday."

"It's hard to not be sometimes," Eve said. She paused. "I'm sorry, though."

"It's okay. I was just hoping I'd get to talk to you again. It was fun, getting to work with you yesterday morning."

"I just hope I didn't mess up your ship too badly. I'm far from being a suitable mechanic."

"Are you kidding me? You're the best I've met," Poe teased, nudging Eve's side with his elbow. She laughed.

"Perhaps I should quit my current job then," she suggested, tilting her head slightly.

"Maybe." Poe's smile began to fade as his dark eyes scanned over her face. "You know, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you yesterday morning."

"What?" Eve asked, taken aback by the sudden reminder. She'd hoped, to no avail, that they'd come to a silent agreement to ignore it.

"Leia said we met before. I don't really remember it," Poe lied, "but I feel bad for not realizing who you were."

"That's okay. I don't really remember it either," Eve said quickly. Poe nodded slightly. "I mean, I have changed my hair."

"And your name," Poe added. Eve looked at Poe, and he shot her a sideways grin. She grimaced.

"Yes, I suppose I did."

"Why did you change it? Rose is a really nice name."

"Eve's nice, too."

"Oh come on, don't be so coy," Poe groaned. They locked eyes as Poe laughed. "You really aren't going to tell me?"

"Less talking, more walking," Eve simply said breaking their momentary eye contact. The moment she turned away, Poe huffed, and stopped in front of a set of double doors. He paused by a touchpad, running his fingers over the keys.

"After you, princess," Poe said. Before Eve could correct him, the doors slid open. Eve nodded to him and BB-8, then turned and walked into the bustling command room. What alarmed her though, as she made her way past rebellion members busy with world, was the sound of footsteps behind her accompanied by the whirring of BB-8's gears. She had little time to process this, though, as she was met with the sight of rebellion members gathered around a large table, all looking at her and the pilot she'd walked in with.

"Commander Irowen, Commander Dameron, I'm glad you should join us," Leia said as she emerged from the crowd. Eve's cheeks flushed, and the general held out a hand, beckoning Eve forward.

"I'm sorry I'm late, general. I overslept," Eve apologized. Leia smiled and guided Eve to a spot where she could be seen by everyone who'd gathered around the rounded table. Poe joined a group of similarly dressed pilots on the opposite side of the table, some of which Eve recognized. Eve's squadron, as she was relieved to find, had all been waiting for her in the spot Leia had guided her to.

"Don't worry about it," Leia whispered amongst the hushed murmurs which floated amongst the group. "I'm sure everyone was glad to have a few extra minutes to speculate." The older woman paused, looking over the identically dressed women. "You girls really know how to make an impression."

"This is for tradition," Eve said, gesturing to her face. Leia smiled, then turned to face the crowd through glowing, blue holographic maps and figures.

"Everyone, I'm sure you heard of our early arrivals, but I'd like to formally introduce them to you now. This is Commander Irowen, and her squadron of soldiers. They've been relocated to our base to assist with our increasing number of missions."

"Are there any new updates or missions to be briefed on, general?" A male voice shouted from the outer rim of the gathering. Leia held a hand out in front of Eve, and after exchanging a glance, Eve slowly stepped forward. 

"Actually," Eve began, "my squadron, coupled with our new presence, has brought a mission forth from our previous assignment. Our former base didn't have the resources or the time to spare for such a case, which is why we were sent here."

Eve cleared her throat. Aska ran her hands over the control panel in front of her, as Leia had taught her the day earlier, and the image of a planet floated in the centre of the space in front of them.

"I'm sure you've all heard of planets like Canto Brite; playgrounds for the wealthy. In the outer rim, there's a planet called Grendovir. It was formerly a swamp planet, though it has undergone an extensive urbanization in its recent years." The image changed, showing towering skyscrapers and flashing lights covering the central part of the city. "Since its makeover, the first order has begun using the planet as well. Parties that are held there are crawling with high ranking first order officials."

"So what do we want there?" A male voice asked. Eve hesitated, beginning to lose her confidence. Poe, watching from across the table, noticed her faltering.

"Let her finish," Poe spoke up. Eve looked at Poe, bewildered for a moment, then smile at him in silent thanks. She cleared her throat, her smile fading once more.

"Well, those who live lavishly on this planet have gained their wealth through the expected means, including the sales of weaponry and services. They aren't entirely loyal, though. Our plan is to infiltrate wealthy circles by posing as members of their society, which will grant us access to knowledge of first order affairs. However, we have our sights trained on one specific woman: Khalie Jorgen. She's a prime engineer on the planet. Her prominence has led her to the first order enlisting her to draft many of their recent weapons designs." 

The hologram changed, reflecting a tall woman with light hair and steely blue eyes. 

"Because she's so trusted by the first order, she's told about future conquests so that she can create specific designs to aid in the particular environmental or combative concerns," Eve explained.

"So are we meant to befriend her? It's too unpredictable. Getting close to someone with that power could take months."

"This will take three weeks at most, but we're aiming for two," Eve said. Groans erupted throughout the crowd. "Four if things go wrong."

"That won't work," someone to her left grumbled.

"Excuse me, if you could all just let me finish my proposal," Eve said, raising her voice. The crowd hushed. "We can't befriend her in the time period determined, not in the way that we'd need to. You're right, it's too unpredictable. We don't know how she'd react to any of us, and any outcome is extremely uncertain. She's too deep in the pocket of the first order to betray insider secrets on a whim."

"So why not take the long haul and wait it out?"

"Because the first order has been building a weapon that's said to be highly destructive. We have spies on Grendovir, who send us intel at all times. This next attack is imminent. We won't have long. At this point, we're trying to find her plans so that we can delay future casualties and begin premature evacuations as soon as we possibly can. This mission is no longer focused on war; it's about rescue and retrieval."

"So what are you planning?" a man asked. Eve sighed, taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

"My squadron will travel to Grendovir. We'll need the help of another squadron on this stint. When we arrive, we'll be seen at major events. We must do anything that we can to be noticed. Now, Khalie has extravagant balls almost weekly. It's something of a status symbol, I'm told. We'll use our increased social standings to gain an invite from one of her many associates. Once we're at the party, one of us will leave the main ballroom to find her office. She keeps records of all of her communications with the first order in there. We'll take a copy of the records, which a member of my team will transcribe. Once we have what we need, we'll leave the planet immediately and return to the base. It should be simple, given that all goes well," Eve said. The crowd, once filled with eager whispers, fell silent. "Are there any volunteers?"

The whispers arose once more, but Eve heard no outcries of support. She couldn't blame them. The overview she'd given had been extremely optimistic, and she felt as though she'd been conniving, as she left out some of the key components that would make for a _tricky_ mission. However, she did this in good faith. This mission could save countless lives. This made everything worth it for her, even if it meant that they'd have to face a legion of storm trooper guards.

"We'll do it," Poe said, raising his hand. Everyone turned to look at him. It was hard to miss the shellshocked expressions of his squadron around him. "My squadron would be happy to help. We don't have anything on our schedules anyways." Poe tried to ignore the quiet groans from his teammates behind him. Eve stared at Poe, though Poe struggled to read her expression, and Leia clapped her hands.

"Great," Leia said. She patted Eve on the back, and the confused commander stepped back, allowing Leia to continue with the morning briefing. 

Eve found it hard to focus, and listened to Leia's words as if they were coming through a fog. She found her gaze drifting towards the dark-haired pilot, who wore an expression indicating that he was in a similar state of mind. He seemed so concentrated with his clenched jaw and furrowed brows, though his eyes wandered around the room, as if he was thinking about something else. As his eyes flickered around the room, they landed on Eve, and she quickly looked away and waited a few moments before looking back at him. She'd been thinking about him constantly since being reminded of their brief friendship. That time in her life was a time she'd tried to forget, regardless of his role in it. Being reminded of him meant being reminded of the day her planet was lost to history.

As the meeting continued, squadrons began to leave the circle to begin the work they'd been assigned to. Eve watched relief flood through certain rebellion members as they were told they'd have a break, and she found herself envying them. She liked to keep herself busy, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't wish for a break from the madness of the war from time to time. The only problem was that she had nothing else to do, at least, nothing worthwhile. Soon, Leia drew her speech to a close and patted Eve on the back as the remaining members at the briefing slowly left the circle.

"I expect an update by the end of the week so I know you're on track," Leia said. Eve nodded slightly.

"Of course, General. We might even be prepared to leave by then."

"Don't get so ahead of yourself, Eve," Leia said. Eve blushed and nodded as Leia smiled. "It's okay, I know you're eager and I appreciate your dedication. You don't have to rush, though. Take your time figuring this one out. And make sure to include Dameron's squadron in your planning."

"Of course," Eve murmured.

"Don't be like your father, Eve. It's good to ask for help," Leia said. Eve looked down. "You're in good hands. Dameron's squadron's one of the best we have around here." Eve nodded again, and Leia turned away to tend to questions from several resistance members that had approached her following the end of the briefing.

Eve turned around and followed Aska as the members of her squadron dispersed through the control room, all gathering around a set of empty tables. Aska and Serena ran their hands over the control boards projecting several holographic images over the tables with lit up glass screens. Eve fell silent, eyes scanning over the blinking buttons and switches.

"I see you've all gotten familiar with the control room," Eve murmured. 

"We came by yesterday while you were _working_ ," Lin said, careful to show her air quotes as she winked. Mai scoffed.

"Very subtle," Mai muttered. Eve forced a smile, silently cursing herself for listening to Leia's advice. Perhaps she should've listened to Aska the night before. Then, she wouldn't have found herself stuck on a mission with a man that reminded her of a life she'd tried to escape. She didn't have time to entertain anything that distracted her from her work, yet it seemed that he had a habit of sneaking up on her.

"Hey," Poe said as he sauntered up beside Eve. Eve paused, watching the girls in her squadron exchange glances that she couldn't hope to decipher, then turned to look at Poe. Poe smiled at her, then looked at the other girls and the brightly lit scene in front of them. They all averted their gazes though some still held small smiles as they stole glances up at the handsome pilot.

"Commander," Eve said, drawing Poe's attention back to her. "Thank you for volunteering for the mission. We appreciate your team's help," she said curtly.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I was worried my guys would get lazy with too much time off," Poe said. Eve nodded, then looked back at the holograms, suddenly very interested in the images of Grendovir she'd seen countless times before. Poe cleared his throat. "I had some training exercises scheduled for my squadron today. It's pretty heavy stuff."

"I see."

"Well, we won't be able to make it to any talks today about the mission. I'm really sorry-"

"It's fine," Eve interrupted. She looked back at Poe, her face blank. Poe blinked, his brows furrowing.

"I just feel really bad about it. I wish I could stay and help out."

"Commander Dameron, it's completely fine," Eve said. Her voice, he'd noticed, was the same as when she'd spoken in front of the briefing. It was authoritative, though light and airy. "Currently we're mapping the city and noting spots of interest. It's nothing of importance. Just make sure your squadron's here, first thing in the morning tomorrow. We should get to know one another fairly soon given the circumstances."

"Yeah, of course, I totally get that."

"Okay. Thank you," Eve said. She turned away from him again, stepping closer to Aska. Aska looked at her and the two exchanged a glance before the blonde resumed her work.

"Alright," Poe murmured. "I'll see you later, I guess." Eve looked over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow," she repeated. 

With that, Poe spun on his heel and jogged to the entrance of the control room where BB-8 had waited for him, prepared to bombard him with endless questions about Eve. Eve watched him go, then turned her head back to her friends as Aska began to show Eve the different functions of the panels she'd tried so desperately to pretend to be interested in.

* * *

The squadron that Eve commanded was extremely close; they'd grown up together, and now fought together as young women, still reeling from the loss of their home. After dinner that night, Serena had insisted on a slumber party of sorts, reminiscent of the nights they'd spent in Eve's childhood bedroom. They used to pretend they were members of the kind's guard, battling with wooden swords on top of her bed, and they'd listen to old legends of Jedi masters and ghosts under expertly-constructed blanket fortresses. Now, though, the night was proposed so that they could continue their work. Grendovir's capital was littered with architectural complexities that they hadn't quite cracked yet due to the level of secrecy surrounding the planet. The maps that they had access to were largely incomplete, and they were tasked with completing the rudimentary maps based on the intel they'd gathered. However, the scene unfolding in Serena's room was entirely different from what she'd proposed.

The women had strewn mattresses and blankets across the floor, and rather than gathering in one spot, they'd instead lounged around the room and laughed at old memories from childhood. Lin had snuck in treats from the dessert section of the meal hall, which they'd all happily indulged in. The modules they'd transferred the maps onto sat abandoned in a bag in the corner of the room. Eve had found a seat on the floor against the foot of Serena's bed, and picked away at a pastry Aska had tossed her just moments after she sat down.

"Oh gosh, do you guys remember that big ball we went to when we were like, what, thirteen?" Lin asked. 

"Desserts as far as the eye can see," Freya said, exaggerating their already posh accents. The girls all laughed.

"You sound like the old general," Mai said. "Everything sounded so grand when it came from him."

"The ball was grand, though," Serena countered. Aska walked across the mattress, stepping over Lin's outstretched body, and took a seat next to Eve.

"We got to wear such lovely dresses, too. I miss getting to wear fancy things all the time," Lin murmured, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. 

"Oh, do you remember Robbie in his uniform at the ball?" Freya asked. Eve felt her heart stop at the mention of the general's son. He'd been one of her closest friends when she was a child. "He was so cute!" She said, as if speaking about a fluffy animal.

"How could we forget our dear Robbie?" Lin sang. Eve rolled her eyes.

"He couldn't stop showing off that night. He was so happy, dressed just like his father," Eve said. She smiled slightly, remembering the way their old friend had posed for them when they'd happened across him at the dessert table. "He did look very dashing. He had the attention of every girl at that ball."

"Except for us," Serena said. "I never understood what it was like to see him as anything but _Robbie_. I almost envied those girls. I felt like we were missing out on something. He was always just Robbie to us."

"Isn't that better that we didn't see him in that way?" Aska said. "We knew the better version of him. From the outside, objectively, he seemed a bit pompous."

"He was nervous! He just wanted to have a good reputation," Eve protested. "Besides, he got a lot better when we were older. He wasn't so intimidating then. He was more relatable, I'm told."

"He was always so much fun, either way. I always thought of him as one of the girls," Lin hummed. she smiled dreamily. "I used to love when he'd agree to play pretend with us in the gardens. He had the best imagination! Oh, I sure hope he's doing okay. I miss him so much sometimes."

"I miss everything about home," Eve murmured. She pulled her knees to her chest, letting out a sigh. "I'm sure he's well, though. We'd have heard if he wasn't." The girls were quiet for a moment. Lin blinked sleepily as Freya yawned.

"In some ways, I think my younger self would have been envious of the way things are now," Mai murmured. She caught Eve's gaze. "Of course, I'd be heartbroken if I knew about the loss of our planet. I just always wanted to be able to fight for something worth while." She looked over at Serena. "Eve used to tell such wonderful stories about the Jedi that once set foot on Roirutea. I wanted to be like them."

"There was an old x-wing in the meadow behind the palace. Do you remember it, Eve?" Serena asked.

"Of course I do," Eve said. "I used to sneak out there in the evenings after my lessons. I loved that old, rusted thing. I used to dream about flying it into great wars I could spend hours in it, daydreaming about things I had no clue about."

"You stopped going when you got back from your stint in the republic, though," Aska said. Eve nodded, resting her chin on the tops of her knees. 

"I'd give anything to go back and see it one more time, though," Eve said. Lin began to snore, prompting giggles from group, and Mai stood up to turn off the lights.

"We should sleep," Freya said through a yawn. "We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm sorry you guys, we barely got any work done," Serena said. She stood up and climbed into her own bed as Eve crawled to the mattress she'd pulled into the room earlier. 

"Barely? We got nothing done," Mai mumbled.

"It's the bonding that counts!" Freya exclaimed, mimicking Serena's exasperated tone. Serena scoffed from her bed. A moment of silence followed, until Aska spoke up.

"You know, sometimes I forget that it really is completely gone. Our planet, that is. It's weird to think that we can never go back. There's just nothing where it used to be. We're all that's left, in some ways." Aska took a deep breath. "It just feels like there's something missing from me now."

"I forget, too. It's just hard to remember when everything's so busy these days," Mai said. 

"I don't like to think about it," Eve mumbled. "It just makes me miss it even more than I already do."

The girls were silent.

"Roseyve?" Serena asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think this mission's going to go well? Are we in over our heads? We haven't been in a conflict like this in a very long time."

"I don't know," Eve murmured. "Just hope for the best."

More silence followed.

"Well, goodnight everyone," Aska called out. Aska rolled over, pulling her blanket over her head. Eve turned and faced the wall. A chorus of goodnights quickly followed before the room fell into a peaceful quiet. When Eve slept that night, she dreamt only of her planet, and the dark-haired pilot that had saved her life many years ago


	6. Man's Best Friend

_Chapter 6_

_Man's Best Friend_

_Upon waking up, Poe wasted no time in dressing, pulling on a plain white shirt and black pants. His hair, still standing from his shower, fell across his forehead as he jogged down the hallways to wake up Rose. The night before, they'd sat by the lake for an hour. Rose was quiet for the moment part, but she laughed at his stories and leaned against him as the night went on. When she yawned and declared that she was tired, Poe walked her back to her room, and tried to hide his smile as she held onto his forearm and talked about her friends. She'd paused several times, and Poe could tell that she was trying to hide certain details, but he understood. It was nice to hear her open up. When they reached her door, she'd lingered for a moment, then offered to give him his jacket back. He'd told her that it was fine, that she'd need it for their next walk, she'd kissed his cheek and thanked him for his company. Being the friendly guy that he was, he'd promised to see her the next day. Of course, he couldn't break another promise to the girl he'd rescued, so he'd set several alarms early in the morning to ensure that he wouldn't disappoint again. Then, he'd gone on a walk under the rising sun to find a flower that had bordered the lake they'd visited the night before._

_As Poe arrived at her room, he quickly knocked against her door, calling out to her. "Rose!" He paused, pressing his ear to the door. He heard light stirring from within, then a crash. As pilots passed him in the hall, eyeing the frantic man listening through the door belonging to one of the new rebel guests, Poe quickly stepped back, clearing his throat. He had to remind himself to look calm and collected, as if he'd just wandered by and remembered she was staying in this wing. However, as the door opened, Poe dropped his act and pushed forth his best grin._

_She was still wearing her nightgown, and her eyes were puffy from sleep, but her hair was much calmer than his and her eyes were bright and clear. She leaned her head against the door as she held it open, smiling softly at the excitable pilot._

_"Hi," Rose breathed out. Poe ran a hand through his hair and held out the single flower, bright yellow in the day light that filtered through the windows in Rose's room._

_"Morning," he said. Rose took the flower and smiled, holding it close to her chest._

_"No flight suit today?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ear._

_"I have a day off," he said, shrugging. Rose turned around and walked into her room, waving Poe in after her. He paused, then followed her inside, making sure to shut the door behind him. Rose set the flower down on her empty dresser and Poe took a seat on the bed. The sheets, he'd noticed, had hardly been disturbed. Rose quickly walked past Poe, tucking the white sheets back into place._

_"Have you come to spend it with me?"_

_"No, I just wanted to brag," he said. Rose laughed. "Do you have any plans for today?" he asked._

_"Just more waiting," she said._

_"Well, how about I take you to breakfast in the village nearby?" Poe asked. Rose's lips parted as her cheeks flushed, and Poe cleared his throat. "Just to show you why you should stay on this base, of course."_

_"Okay," Rose said. "I'll just get dressed first." She nodded towards the bathroom attached to her room._

_"What are you talking about? You look great already," Poe said. Rose laughed again._

_"You're very easy to impress," she said. Poe watched her cross the room to her dresser, and pull out a silken pink dress. He assumed Leia had given her clothes when she arrived, though he was shocked at the sight of it. He was sure she'd be conforming to the brightly-coloured uniforms that were common amongst the base members. After running her fingers along the fabric, Rose turned around and walked to the bathroom door. "I'll only be a moment."_

_"Don't worry about time," Poe said, letting his torso fall back on the bed. He crossed his arms behind his head. "I might just nap."_

_As the door behind him shut, Poe closed his eyes and allowed for himself to rest, as he hadn't quite slept well with the fear of sleeping through his alarms. When the door opened again just ten minutes later, Poe's eyes remained closed. The bed behind him shifted under the girl's added weight, and Poe opened his eyes, smiling as Rose hung her head over Poe's. The hair that escaped a white ribbon holding it back from her face brushed against his skin._

_"Yes?" Poe asked, his lips spreading into a grin. Rose returned the expression._

_"Do you plan to sleep all day?" she whispered. Poe took a deep breath, stretching his arms above him._

_"Maybe," he sighed. Rose shook her head and leaned back. Poe quickly sat up, twisting in his spot to see Rose as she stood up and brushed non-existent wrinkles from the dress that had been draped so elegantly over her body. After a moment of subtle gawking, Poe leapt to his feet, grabbing the flower from the dresser._

_"Ah, the giant has awoken from its slumber," Rose hummed. As Poe approached, Rose flinched, but Poe lifted his hands in surrender and drew closer to the confused soldier. She watched as he reached up, and tucked the flower into her hair._

_"There," he breathed out. As he let his hand fall back to his side, his thumb grazed the scar that slid easily along her cheekbone. He paused, their eyes locking. "You look great," Poe said. Rose's cheeks flushed again and she looked down, silent for a moment._

_"I thought I looked great already," Rose joked._

_"You did. I just wanted to say it again."_

_"Thank you," she breathed out._

_"You're welcome." Poe's grin picked up again. "And what about me?" He batted his eyes. Rose laughed, her blush creeping across her face._

_"You look quite wonderful, too," she said. The two walked side-by-side to the hallway, and Poe leaned against the wall as Rose locked the door._

_"Thank you," he said. "I spent hours getting ready this morning."_

_"I couldn't tell," she said._

_"Ouch," he gasped, grasping at his chest. Rose laughed._

_"No, I just meant that I thought that you just rolled out of bed looking that ruggedly handsome," she teased. As she slipped the keys back into a convenient dress pocket, she leaned against the door and smiled up at Poe, her gaze slowly dragging across his features._

_"What?" Poe asked, his cheeks growing red under her stare._

_"I was just thinking."_

_"About what?"_

_"Well, I've only known you for a day now. I barely know you."_

_"We established this last night, Rose, I know you better than you know yourself. Like, I can tell you how weird it is for you to be wearing shoes right now," Poe said. Rose laughed, reaching out to gently push Poe's shoulder._

_"I'm being serious, Poe. I feel very comfortable around you. Isn't that odd?"_

_"How is it odd?"_

_"It just is," Rose stressed. She sighed, her nose scrunching up. "Don't you think it's odd for us to be acting like this?"_

_"Like what?" Poe asked with a laugh. "It's not that weird. You make friends quickly in situations like this, you know. We just happen to have a good connection. Plus, I like pestering you."_

_"And saving me," Rose added with a smile._

_"That too, it's just a bit harder. You don't seem to like being saved."_

_"No, I can't say that I did yesterday." She paused. "I'm glad for your company, though."_

_"And I'm happy for yours," he said. He watched as her gaze fell to the ground, the tips of her shoes gently bumping against his. "How's your wound? You healing okay?"_

_"Like last night, I barely feel it. Your technology's fantastic here."_

_"Yeah, well, you can thank the first order sympathizers that sold it to us," Poe muttered. Rose nodded, and when she left the comfort of the door, Rose followed Poe's lead down the hallway. As they began to near the hall which opened into the large, open space housing their ships, Poe held a bent arm out to Rose, which she happily wrapped her own arm around._

_"That is the price of war, isn't it? Seeing how far morals can be stretched. The price of freedom," Rose mused. "At least, that's what my father used to say. He abhorred the very thought of another war, especially losing his father in the last great one."_

_"So it must run in the family?" he asked. Rose raised her free hand to shield her green eyes from the glaring sun in order to look at Poe again._

_"What does?"_

_"Well, being a soldier."_

_"Oh," Rose said. She bit her lip and looked away. "I suppose. I hadn't thought of it that way."_

_"I'm sure they'd be very proud," Poe said. Rose nodded, then cleared her throat._

_"So, what types of pastries can I expect to find in this mysterious village you keep mentioning?" She asked. Poe grinned._

_"I thought you'd never ask!"_

_As the pilot began to tell her about the various sweets that she could look forward to, Poe couldn't help but notice the way her eyes flickered amongst the chaotic nature of the outdoor landing space between various squadrons and rescued civilians. Then, as the sound of thundering steps accompanied by startled shouts of pilots, soldier and citizens alike began to erupt from some distant part of the base, Rose's hand fell from Poe's arm. His story was quickly brought to a halt, and he pulled out his blaster, watching Rose spin on the spot with widened eyes._

_"What is that?" Poe asked. The noise began to grow._

_"I think I know," Rose breathed out. She looked at Poe with a grin. "I sure hope I am."_

_As the words left her lips, a blue, scaly creature stepped out from behind an x-wing, prompting a scream from the pilot that had been napping within. Using just his naked eye, Poe guessed that it had to have been seven to eight feet tall._

_"A dragon?" Poe whispered._

_They were very rarely seen across the galaxy; on planets that they were native to, Poe'd heard that they were still very elusive. Sometimes, he'd doubted their existence. He'd heard numerous stories as a boy, but seeing one in person, despite being much smaller than he'd expected, was a frightening moment. Poe stepped towards Rose, prepared to protect her from the beast, but stopped when she let out a laugh of joy. She crouched and beckoned the creature forward. In just a few seconds, it bounded towards them and pushed Rose to the ground, excitedly sniffing at her face. Poe stumbled backwards as the tremors in the ground shook his balance and Rose merely laughed as she brushed her hands along the beast's flattened snout. Her laugh was unlike any he'd heard from her since their very recent meeting; it was childlike, and familiar. As Poe began to approach her, he noticed the tears that had slid down the sides of her face, which the dragon rubbed at with its scaly snout._

_"Oh, Saphira, how I've missed you," Rose murmured through her tears, pressing her forehead to its snout. The dragon huffed, and Rose tilted her head to the side to look at Poe. She wiped her tears away and laughed. "You look so frightened! Don't be scared, Saphira's harmless," Rose assured. Poe nodded, but failed to make any further advances towards her. As the girl resumed her childish mumbles to the dragon, whose tail had begun scratching along the ground in a waving pattern, two women ran from behind the dragon, shouting Rose's name. In an instant, she had risen to her feet, and was pulled into a warm embrace._

_"Rose!" A blonde exclaimed through the group's shared laughter. "We were so scared for you, I thought I'd never see you again! Then Leia called us yesterday to tell us you'd been rescued! I was so shocked-"_

_"It took us forever to find a ship to bring us here," the brunette girl said. "Lin, Mai and Freya are still-"_

_"Missing?" Rose asked._

_"No, they're safe. They were just taken to a different location in the evacuation. They'll be here in a few days, given they find a ship," the blonde said. Rose smiled, nodding quickly with every word that left their mouths._

_"That's so good to hear," she_ _whispered, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. As she began to turn around, Poe quickly looked away, pretending to be very keen on a spot on his sleeve. Rose stepped away from her friends and walked to Poe, gently sliding her hand into his._

_"Who's this?" the blonde asked, her tone growing frantic at the sight of their clasped hands. Rose pulled Poe towards her friends, and Poe held his breath as the dragon sniffed at his feet. Poe smiled weakly, his hands shaking at his sides. Rose's hand gravitated upwards and grasped his bicep._

_"This is Poe Dameron. He saved my life yesterday."_

_"It was nothing," Poe said. The dragon blew steam against Poe's leg and he cleared his throat._

_"Oh don't listen to him, that's nonsense! He found me in the village shortly after you left, Aska. I'd been shot-"_

_"You were shot?" the brunette exclaimed._

_"Kriff, I knew I shouldn't have left you," the blonde muttered._

_"Where were you hit?" the brunette asked._

_"Here," Rose said, gesturing to her abdomen. "They patched me up when we landed. It's miraculous how wonderful I feel, really." She looked up at Poe and smiled. "Anyways, he found me in the village, still trying to get up and fight. He insisted on taking me back to his ship for the evacuations, but I refused, so he picked me up and carried me there himself. He's been keeping me company since then."_

_"That's wonderful," the brunette said, smiling at Poe. "Thank you for saving her."_

_"Yes, thank you," the blonde mumbled, her smile more faint than her companions as her eyes continued to drift towards the hand that Rose had held Poe's arm with._

_"Poe," Rose said, drawing his gaze back to her, "I'd like for you to meet my friends. This is Aska." Rose gestured to the blonde. Aska nodded once. "And this is Serena," she said, waving to the brunette. Serena smiled and nodded as well. Rose let go of Poe's arm and stepped forward, embracing the dragon's neck. She turned her head towards Poe, her cheek resting against the dragon's scales. "And this is Saphira." She scratched behind her ears and a rumble erupted from deep within the creature. Poe looked back at the women, unsurprised to see they'd taken the time to study him while he'd been distracted._

_"So, how long have you all been friends?" Poe asked. Aska eyed him warily while the brunette jumped into action, her smile spreading._

_"Oh, Aska's known Rosie the longest," Serena said. She turned to Aska. "You both met when you were what, five?"_

_"Yes. Cade was still a baby," Aska mumbled. Rose's movements_ _faltered for a moment, then she stood up and brushed off her dress as if a look of shock hadn't just run across her face._

_"Rosie, huh?" Poe asked, locking eyes with the girl he'd grown a slight attachment too. Rose rolled her eyes with a grin._

_"I met Rose and Aska around a year after they first met," Serena added. Poe nodded. Then, he looked down at Saphira. She rested her head on her paws with closed eyes while Rose leaned against her._

_"What about Saphira? When did you get her?" he asked. "I mean, were dragons normal on your planet?"_

_"Not really," Aska answered. "They tended to stick to the underdeveloped areas of the planet and we tried not to bother them. Sometimes they ventured too close to the cities, though, and they'd grow attachments. That's what happened with Rose. Cade too, I suppose."_

_"I found her when I was eight, I believe. She used to be the size of an Ewok, if you can believe it," she said, giggling. "Now it's hard to transport her anywhere."_

_"Hence why we struggled to find a way here," Aska said. "We just landed and she escaped out of the bloody hold! She must have sensed Rose out here." Saphira stood and sniffed at Serena's outstretched hand. Rose exchanged a glance with her friends before looking at Poe, an apologetic smile gracing her lips._

_"Poe, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take a rain cheque on breakfast. I just- I feel like I should help them settle in," Rose said. Poe's smile faltered, but he nodded, scratching the back of his neck as his easy grin returned._

_"Yeah, of course, no worries."_

_Rose nodded, then stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek._

_"I'll see you later, okay? I promise."_

_As she walked away, Poe couldn't help but notice the flower which had once sat in her hair had fallen in the commotion. He stepped forward, kneeling down and picking it up. He turned it over in his hands. Then, he dropped it. It wasn't his to keep._

* * *

"They're late."

Poe looked up at Jessika from where she'd taken a seat on top of the table across from him. She was right. They were chaotic at times, which was largely attributed to their reckless leader, but Poe had woken each squadron member personally to ensure that they could arrive at their first mission-based meeting on time in order to make a good impression on their new teammates. Based on their behaviour, Poe was sure that they were critical of manners. However, thirty minutes past when they were meant to begin, the women were still nowhere in sight.

"It hasn't been that long," Poe said. He sniffed, picking lint off of his flight suit. Jessika scoffed.

"We have flight exercises scheduled for this afternoon. We can't stay here all day-"

"I get it, Pava," Poe muttered. He glanced at the others. Snap and Kare still looked like they were on the brink of falling asleep, while L'ulo had busied himself with a handheld game. Poe sighed and looked back at Jessika, who merely raised her eyebrows in response. "They'll be here soon, Jess. Don't worry." As the words left his lips, a bubbly, blue-haired girl interrupted their thoughts with a breathless greeting. 

"Hey!" Lin shouted as she entered the space that had been designated to her crew. "The others are on their way, I just ran here so I could let you guys know. I'm Lin, by the way! Super excited to be working with you guys. We don't do a lot of collaborations."

"Great," Jessika said, looking to Poe once more with raised brows. He rolled his eyes at her and looked at Lin, grimacing.

"Thanks," Poe said. Within moments of her arrival, the other women made their appearance, rounding a corner in the busied control room. They were dressed identically again, and sported the same weird patterns of white paint. Eve, Poe'd noticed, had swiped the paint directly below her eyes rather than above, maintaining a relatively simplistic look.

"Black squadron, I apologize for our poor punctuality. It's my fault, I was late to rise this morning," Eve said. They'd all slept in, but Eve didn't want her squadron to be blamed. She was their commander, after all; it was her fault if they fell behind.

"I'm hoping this won't be a regular habit on the mission," Snap murmured, rubbing his eyes. Eve's lips parted, but Aska spoke before Eve could even formulate a thought. She still looked half asleep, but Poe had to admit, the paint did a good job of hiding this fact.

"We're on time when we need to be," Aska said. 

"So today wasn't necessary?" Jessika asked. 

"It's fine, Jess. We would've been late too if I didn't set so many alarms," Poe said, drawing all attention back to him. He looked at Eve, who simply nodded a silent thanks. Then, the members of her squadron filtered more evenly into the space, taking empty seats as Eve remained at the head of the table closest to the exit, Aska standing close by. The blonde began to load modules onto the control panel as Serena, seated nearby, used the controls to focus on the red dot they'd placed onto the nearly completed map the night before.

"Two weeks from now, we're going to leave D'Qar and land on the Southside of Grendovir, in a quiet village bordering its capital city. From what we've observed, there aren't any surveillance droids in the area to monitor traffic, so we should be able to land undetected, especially if we aim for the bogs. From there, we'll buy several speeders-"

"Commander Irowen?" L'ulo interrupted from behind the spinning image of Grendovir. Eve looked at him with raised brows and he smiled.

"Yes?" She asked.

"What's your squadron's call sign?" L'ulo asked. Eve and Aska exchanged a look, both wearing similarly confused expressions. "You know, like we're the black squadron. It'll be helpful for our team if you guys have a call sign, for quick communications."

"Why not just use our names?" Lin asked

"We might have to refer to you as a group," Jessika explained. "I'm assuming that when we split up, we'll be in our respective squadrons when possible, especially since we have different functions."

"Besides, every squadron needs a call sign," L'ulo added with a friendly grin. Eve hesitated.

"We usually get assigned one when we join a base. The general just hasn't given us one yet."

"You can just choose and tell the general later. As long as it's not taken, it should be fine. What have you gone by before?" L'ulo said.

"We get numerical names. They change every time. Last time we were the 48th squadron. We're okay with that if you'd like," Aska said. L'ulo laughed.

"That's not very creative," he said.

"Why not the blue squadron?" Poe asked. Every head in the space turned to him. "I know that was Luke's squadron's old call sign, but I thought it might be a good name."

"And why's that?" Eve asked. She seemed defensive, almost. Tension hung in the air for a brief moment as their gazes met, simultaneously remembering the moment in which they'd first met. Then, it was broken by Lin's naturally cheery tone.

"I love it!" she squealed. "Oh, it's just like what we used to be called before!"

"Right, Jessika told us about you guys. Do you still have those uniforms?" Kare asked. 

"Yes," Mai said. "We save them for special occasions, though."

"Why?"

"It's hard to repair them once they're damaged. Ask Eve, her old one was basically ripped to shreds. It was irreparable; we had to make an entirely new one," Freya said. She concealed a smirk behind a strategically placed clipboard. "You could also ask Poe, he was there to see it."

Poe would be lying if he said he hadn't noticed the way Eve's chin had dropped progressively throughout the conversation, her hair falling over her eyes. She'd tried her best to busy herself with the control panels. So when the members of his squadron looked to him with smirks and grins alike, Poe merely waved a dismissive hand.

"I don't really remember it," Poe said. Eve looked up at him, lips slightly parted. His teammates protested, wanting to hear more about the history between the two. During their flight exercises the previous day following the controversial mission briefing, Jessika had referenced the time that Poe and Eve had spent together years prior. However, when pushed further by the others, Jessika ignored her teammates pleas to discuss the topic without Poe's express permission. Poe had even refused to explain why the two had arrived to the mission briefing together, which did nothing but raise suspicion. "Sorry, guys, I really don't remember."

"Alright," Eve said, clearing her throat. "Are you all prepared to go through the briefing today? Unfortunately there won't be much talk about my tattered clothes, but..." Eve trailed off. L'ulo raised a thumbs up and Eve nodded, looking back to the map with the ghost of a smile lingering on peachy lips. Then, L'ulo leaned over to Lin, his words just audible to Poe.

"Do you guys think you can break out the hoods for this mission?" he whispered. The blue-haired girl coughed to cover up a laugh, the corners of her lips twitching.

"Maybe," she whispered. She glanced at Poe, earning a blush from the eavesdropping pilot. "But I think you'd all prefer if we didn't, considering the circumstances that it would take."

* * *

It had been a productive day, Poe thought. The meeting with the _blue squadron_ had lasted little more than two hours, in which time the groups had bonded considerably. While Eve, Aska and Serena had spoken almost entirely about business, Freya, Mai and Lin had spent most of their time joking around with members of Poe's squadron. They'd also managed to plan a significant part of their mission. His team had proved themselves integral, providing information about entry and exit points that would only seem obvious to a team of pilots. Only one member of Eve's squadron knew how to fly, and due to her dedication to other disciplines, she'd failed to mention any of their tips.

When the meeting had come to an end, Eve, Aska and Serena left wordlessly, whereas Poe's squadron had stuck around to introduce themselves to the remaining members of Eve's squadron before all heading to their ships for training. After the scheduled exercises, the black squadron had gone to the meal hall together, from which Eve's squadron had been missing. She had mentioned that they were planning to work through dinner to finish their maps, but Poe was still disappointed in the absence of her face.

As Poe finished his dinner in the emptying meal hall, he said goodnight to his friends, threw out the remnants of his meal, and proceeded down winding halls towards his room. However, midway through his journey, he was halted by sounds of shouting from training spaces that were usually left empty at this hour. Poe's steps slowed as he approached the door one such space, pressing his face to the window. Eve was inside, shouting as she swung a wooden staff at a flying droid designed specifically for training. Poe reached down, quickly jamming his fingers into a keypad. As the door hissed open, giving Poe entryway, Eve ran her staff through the bot and pinned it to the wall.

"You know you aren't supposed to break those things, right? There's a little button you're supposed to tap to disable them," Poe called out. The muscles in Eve's back tensed beneath the tight-fitting, sleeveless short she'd dressed in, her shoulders completely bare. Her legs showcased scars from previous battles, as the shorts she'd chosen to wear left little to the imagination. Eve blew the air out of her face and turned to face Poe just as he began to shed his flight suit. A look of relief washed over her face at the sight of a white t-shirt and pants that he wore underneath.

"I suppose I got carried away," Eve panted, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. She reached back, adjusting the ponytail at the base of her neck. "What are you doing, Dameron?"

"Well, I was thinking that since you're here, we could train together. For the mission, that is," Poe said. "If you're okay with that?" He walked across the vast, empty space to a wall of weapons, picking up an identical wooden staff. Eve pulled her weapon out of the droid, allowing it to crash to the floor, and watched Poe approach.

"That would be okay," Eve murmured. "I just don't know if we'd be compatible matches. I was trained on my planet by the head of the king's guard."

"That's fine, I can see how good I am at adapting."

"Do you even fight hand-to-hand?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You're a pilot. I can't imagine you're often on the ground," Eve said. Poe widened his stance and shrugged.

"Sure, but you made it sound like we'd be on the ground a lot during this mission."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you'll need to fight. We're hoping for the exact opposite, really."

"Things always go wrong," Poe said. He adjusted his grip on his staff then held it out, pointing it at Eve's neck. "Now, show me how you fight...Please?"

Eve was silent for a moment, her chest still rising and falling with heavy breaths as she recovered from the fight she'd just finished. Then, after a moment, she nodded and stepped back, her staff gliding gracefully through the air at her hand.

"Okay." Eve widened her stance.

"Don't go easy on me," Poe said, winking. "I can take it." Eve laughed.

"I'll have to. Otherwise I'd have you breathless on the floor in seconds." Eve lunged forward, her staff missing Poe's abdomen by inches as he quickly side-stepped her hit.

The two began a dance across the mat, though the dance couldn't be described as graceful by any means. Eve took calculated risks, light on her feet as she took aimed jabs at the pilot who seemed focused largely on avoided her swift movements.

"Make sure to actually to hit me, when you get the chance," Eve announced. She spun around, raising her staff to block his swinging aim.

"What?" he gasped. He stumbled backwards, holding his staff in front of his face. Eve knocked it up into the air, then tapped his side with the front of her staff. 

"Point," she hummed. Eve stepped back, brushing the hair out of her face. "Let's go again."

Poe lunged forward, and Eve leaned back as he swung the staff towards her.

"If you can, pretend it's a real fight. I won't fault you if you hit me, but just make sure to jab me. Say point if you have to. Just show me that you can hit me," Eve said, her expression unchanging.

Poe watched the staff spin around her hand as she shifted her weight across her stance.

Then, she stepped forward, swinging towards him.

Poe stepped back and countered her shot.

Eve dodged and ducked below his reach. She slid on her knees across the cushioned floor and leaned back, tapping the backs of her knees as she breezed past him.

"Point," she said. She rose to her feet, and the two spun towards each other. Poe laughed breathlessly.

"You know," he began, "that move wouldn't have killed me."

"If it was anything like the first order weapons I've encountered, you'd be unable to fight. First order soldiers don't show mercy," Eve said. They swung towards each other and the smack of their weapons echoed throughout the room as they met in the middle. "Good form, commander."

Eve took a few steps back, grinning. The two had found an easy rhythm, matching each others' blows before damage could be done.

"You've had training?" Eve asked. "Whoever trained you never corrected your footwork. If I were less forgiving, I'd take advantage of your balance."

"No training," Poe gasped. He swung again. "I've just picked up some tricks along the way. I try to stick to my blaster."

"Your tricks are impressive," Eve mused. Poe leapt forward, tapping her sternum. She gasped.

"Point!" Poe exclaimed triumphantly, raising his arms in the air. Then, noticing the smile Eve bore, he squared his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Good," she said. "Maybe I'll try harder."

She lunged forward, and as the two braced their staffs in the middle, Poe grinned.

"Any tips?"

"Shut up," Eve said. Poe's eyes widened, his grip weakening. "Not like that, Dameron. I just mean that you're distracting yourself." She lifted her knee, knocking his elbow upwards. Then, she pushed her foot flat against his chest. Poe stumbled back.

"Right."

He ran forward with his staff pointed at Eve. 

Eve knocked it away and stepped out of his path.

"Careful," Eve warned. She tapped his back as he stumbled past her. "Point. Watch for my weaknesses."

"Do you have any?" Poe asked, laughing as he spun around. Eve grinned as he bounced between his feet.

"Everyone has weaknesses, Poe." She lunged. He countered. "You just have to watch. Just think, Poe. Physically, you're stronger than me. I saw that right away. Yet, you aren't winning. Why do you think that is?" Eve asked. Poe rolled his eyes.

"Well, what are mine?"

"You talk too much."

"Oh, come on!" Poe laughed. Eve reached out and circled his hands with her staff, knocking his weapon to the floor.

"Point," Eve said. Poe grunted and picked up his staff.

"You didn't even hit me that time."

"You dropped your weapon. You're defenceless. It would take seconds for me to finish you off."

"Finish me off?" Poe mused, raising his eyebrows. Eve cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing.

"Yes, Dameron. Take this seriously."

Poe swung his arms again. Wind whistled past Eve's ear as his jab neared her face. Eve stepped back, holding her staff steady as Poe grew more aggressive with his attack.

"Your weakness is defence," Poe called out.

"Nice try." Eve braced her arms as he swung again and pushed his staff to the mat, taking his moment of shock as an opportunity to push him back with her foot once more. Poe dropped his staff, but Eve rolled it back towards him. "Again."

"You aren't going to call point?"

"It's a stupid habit from the king's guard. Points used to matter in games, but it's just going to distract you."

Poe had noticed the way her tone had fallen as she mentioned the king's guard again. He'd also noticed how her eyes had fallen while the muscles in her arms relaxed, if only for a brief moment. 

Poe lunged forward again. As they struggled in the middle, he took the moment to watch Eve's expression, their faces just inches apart. Eve grit her teeth and braced herself, countering his sheer strength.

"The king's guard?" Poe breathed out in question. Eve's jaw went slack, and she released her hold, stumbling backwards. Within seconds, she lunged at him again. 

"The king's guard, if you must know, consisted of every dedicated knight that wanted to fight for the kingdom," she explained, growing more breathy as the fight progressed. Poe's staff cracked and Eve let up her attack, waving him towards the wall of instruments. As he walked away, she sighed, running a hand over her face. "I was close friends with the general's son. He ended up taking over the guard after his father retired. My brother also trained with them once he was old enough. The two of them taught me everything I know."

Poe grabbed a new weapon from the wall. He began to turn around, only to feel wind cut against hist face as Eve swung towards him, having silently crept up behind him. He shouted in alarm, only just blocking her hit.

"Don't let your guard down," Eve said. They fenced back towards the centre of the room. "Your form's getting sloppier, commander."

"What?" Poe's cheeks flushed. He gulped. "Commander?"

"That's what you are, aren't you?" Eve sidestepped a swing. "You're embracing your strengths. That's good, but remember, it takes more than that."

As Eve raised her arms, Poe took the moment to press his staff into her side. Eve laughed, then regained her form. Their fight resumed quickly, the breaks between hits growing shorter and shorter each time.

"Tell me more," he gasped as he shielded a blow, "about the king's guard."

Eve's arms fell.

Poe swung his.

Eve ducked.

"There's not much to tell," she said, narrowing her brows.

"Did you guys fight with dragons?" Poe asked.

"What?"

Their staffs clashed.

"What happened to yours, by the way? I thought I would've seen her crashing into things around the base by now." The two met in the middle, faces inches away from each other. Poe's heart pounded in his ears. "Saphira, wasn't it?"

Poe watched, as if in slow motion, as the muscles in Eve's face relaxed. Her cheeks, once flushed pink like the flowers that Poe had once picked for Eve, lost all colour. Her lips parted, her eyes falling blank. Eve's grip on her staff loosened, giving Poe the opportunity to advance. However, when he saw the changed expression, he found himself faltering as well. Then, something in her eyes changed, as though a fire had been lit within. In a flurry of movements, Poe found himself on his back, his ears ringing from the sudden fall. Eve pressed a foot against Poe's chest, aiming her staff at his neck. Her chest heaved as their eyes met. For just a few moments, they could only hear the sounds of their heavy breathing. Then, Eve threw her staff onto the floor.

"I told you," she panted with glassy eyes, her hair falling over her eyes, "don't let your guard down."

Before Poe could even attempt to get a word out, Eve had already turned her back on him. Poe watched her quickened steps, and when the door hissed shut behind her, Poe let his head fall back onto the padded floor. Now in private, Poe let out a groan he'd been holding in since the first blow Eve had delivered.


	7. Pastry Sunsets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for my month-long hiatus. I've been procrastinating, as well as going through confusing personal problems in my life. The next chapters might be slow as well, just because it's getting into heavier action and more complicated scenes. Thanks so much for your patience if you've made it this far, and I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned next!

_"Rose!"_

_It was the evening of Rose's second night on the base. Rose had promised herself she'd find Poe again after helping her friends settle in, but it seemed as though Aska and Serena had an endless supply of questions that the former queen had never thought to ask herself. The girls' minds were already on the future, questioning how long they were meant to stay on this planet and what they were meant to do next. Rose had largely tried to pretend that nothing catastrophic had happened, despite the girls whispering about their burning planet every moment Rose had turned her back. She'd spent the day showing them around the base with Poe nowhere to be seen. At dinner even, she'd looked around the hall for him when her friends weren't looking, but his presence was noticeably absent. After dinner, the trio had gone back to Rose's room. Aska and Serena were given rooms nearby in the same wing, but they'd pulled their mattresses into Eve's room so that they didn't have to be separated in a strange place. Rose stood in the bathroom getting ready for bed as Serena and Aska whispered about the new base._

_"Yes?" Rose asked, poking her head out of the bathroom door. Serena, perched on the edge of the bed, wiggled her eyebrows._

_"You seem distracted," Aska said in her matter-of-fact way. Serena smirked as Rose leaned against the doorframe, carefully untying the ribbons in her hair._

_"Why would I be?" Rose asked._

_"Why don't you tell us?" Serena cooed. Rose rolled her eyes and crossed the room to her dresser, picking up a comb and running it through her wavy hair._

_"I'm not distracted, so I'm not sure what either of you are on about."_

_"We aren't dense, Rose," Aska rebutted. Rose scoffed. She sat down on the bed, crossing her legs on top of white sheets, and continued working out the tangles from the day._

_"Not that it matters at this point, but I've just been thinking about what to do next. I just don't vocalize it like you two. I didn't think it wise to mention anything given the circumstances and the uncertainty we're faced with. I wanted to wait until things became more clear," Rose explained. They'd tried finding the general earlier that day, but only found one of her advisers who simply directed the girls to their new room and to the makeshift stable in which they would keep Saphira. While Rose would have preferred to have Saphira stay in her already cramped room with her, it was clear that the halls were far too narrow for her. As Eve finished her sentence, Aska shifted in her spot and Serena's head perked up, her light eyes glowing._

_"Well, what were you thinking?" Serena asked. "You should tell us anyways, even if you don't know for sure yet what's possible. Aska and I have been theorizing all day." Rose hesitated, then sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. She looked between the two girls._

_"I just really like this base so far," Rose began slowly. Aska exchanged a glance with Serena, and Rose laughed nervously. "Oh please, you've here a day! Don't tell me you've already made your judgement."_

_"And you've been here two days. I don't know if it's wise to continue in this line of work, Rose," Aska said._

_"Why not?"_

_"I don't know. That's why I'm uncertain; it's hard to tell whether any plan right now is a good one."_

_"I think it's a good idea, Rosie," Serena said, her voice growing soft. She reached out, placing a tender hand on Rose's knee._

_"I mean, I don't know if it'd work, realistically. We don't have much experience, especially not with their technology," Rose said. She sighed, setting her comb down in her lap. She turned the wooden handle over in her hands. "I do think it's very nice here, though. You should give it a chance. The people here are very kind."_

_"They're also quite busy," Aska said._

_"You've already made a friend, though! Isn't that fantastic?" Serena said. She grabbed Rose's shoulders and shook her friend excitedly. Rose laughed, pushing Serena away._

_"Why is that such a surprise? Am I really that unlikeable?" Rose asked, tucking her hair behind her ears. Aska rolled her eyes with a laugh._

_"Don't be so coy, Rose. You're just not very sociable, not in that way at least. You've only a handful of friends!"_

_"Well, the circumstances aren't exactly the same. It's not like I had a need for many friends back home," Rose said. "Besides, they're very nice here. That's not to say they weren't nice back home, but you know how I was treated. It never felt genuine. It's just different here. You know, I've gotten a lot of tips lately."_

_"Like what?" Aska asked with narrowed eyes._

_"Well, I was told to befriend the pilots so that if you ever need a quick errand, you have an eye in the sky on hand. And um..." she paused, "Always go to the meal hall late!"_

_As Rose finished her thought, she suddenly fell silent. Her eyes widened and she rose from her bed,_ _grabbing Poe's jacket off of a chair she'd strewn it across the night before. Aska and Serena watched her dance vicariously across haphazardly placed mattresses on the floor, pausing only to lean down to slip brown slippers onto small feet. Rose slipped her arms into Poe's sleeves, wrapping the jacket around her body; it still smelled of his cologne._

_"Where are you going?" Serena asked, brows furrowing as she kneeled on the bed._

_"I just remembered something."_

_"Is it about your pilot friend?" Aska questioned, lips pulled tight._

_"Maybe," Rose breathed out. "I'll be back soon, okay?"_

_"Okay," Aska said incredulously. The two girls on the bed exchanged a glance. "Just be safe. We won't be able to help you if you get lost."_

_"I'm not an infant, Aska. I'll be okay," Rose said. She ran to the door and flung it open, her hair flying in movement. "I'll only take a minute!"_

_Rose pulled the door shut behind her with a deafening slam before her friends could protest or offer to accompany her. As much as she loved their company, especially in alien situations such as this, Rose didn't want to share his attention. It was an odd thought to come by. It didn't have to mean anything, though - she was used to being the centre of attention. Perhaps it was just a remnant of her childhood securities. Brushing this thought from her mind with a shrug and shake of her head, Rose broke into a sprint down the stretching hallway._

_As Rose's feet pounded against grey pavement, she grinned in spite of herself. It had been so long since she felt this free, though childish was a better term to describe it in her case. The last time she'd run like this, with a smile stretched across her face, was amongst the many times she ran down the castle hallways in search of her brother. A couple in Rose's path split apart, and her shoulders brushed their amidst the mad dash to find Poe. The thought of her castle days had shaken her, but she glanced over her shoulder to shout a quick apology. With her head still turned, Rose felt her ankle twist as her shoe hit a ridge in the floor. She gasped, already feeling the unfortunate effects of gravity, when hands suddenly grasped her elbows. Her face pressed into warm fabric. Rose breathed heavily, still catching her breath, and leaned away from her rescuer as her feet found the comfort of the ground again. Her cheeks flushed; she'd suddenly found herself gazing at a familiar pilot leaving the meal hall, Jessika standing at his side with crossed arms._

_"Poe," Rose breathed out, her chest still heaving. "Hi."_

_Poe's lips spread into a wide grin. As Jessika cleared her throat, Rose stepped back from Poe and his hands fell back to his sides._

_"Rose," Poe greeted with a nod as his lips spread. "If you're here listening to my advice, I think you should maybe try coming to the meal hall a little earlier."_

_"Oh, I was here earlier with my friends. I was looking for you actually," Rose said quickly. She paused, glancing over at Jessika. She felt_ _awfully rude for ignoring her. "Hi," she added._

_"Hey," Jessika said slowly. Rose watched as Jessika and Poe exchanged a glance. Jessika patted his shoulder. "I guess you're busy now?"_

_"It's my day off, Jess. Flight exercises can wait," Poe said with a grin._

_"I didn't mean to intrude," Rose said timidly. Jessika shook her head._

_"I was just teasing him. Please, take him off my hands."_

_"Jess, you're supposed to sell me a little here," Poe joked, nudging the dark-haired woman with his elbow. Jessika rolled her eyes._

_"You're a hard sell, Dameron," Jessika muttered. She nodded at Rose. "Good luck with him. Make sure he doesn't get lost, he tends to wander."_

_Poe and Rose watched as Jessika walked away before Poe turned to Rose, offering a nervous smile._

_"She's just kidding. I don't wander..." Poe cleared his throat. Rose held back a smile with burning cheeks. "So, why were you looking for me?"_

_"I, uh...I came to bring your jacket back to you!" Rose exclaimed, shrugging it off of her shoulders. Poe's eyes ran over her body as his lips twisted into a smirk. After a moment, he chuckled and shook his head._

_"I almost didn't notice it on you. You can hold onto it, though. I did say you'd need it for our next walk."_

_"When will that be?" Rose asked. Taken aback, Poe laughed, raising an eyebrow._

_"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?"_

_"Would the village still be open now? I've been thinking about it all day since you mentioned it," Rose said quickly. "I would like to see it, if you're not busy."_

_"I am busy," Poe said. Her smile dropped and she nodded, lips parting._

_"Oh," she breathed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed-"_

_Poe interrupted her with a gentle shove. Rose's eyes widened as she looked up at Poe, who'd broken into a fit of laughter._

_"I'm just kidding, Rose. Kriff, even if I was, I don't think I'd be able to say no to a face like that." Poe flashed a grin. Rose breathed a sigh of relief, then pursed her lips, gently shoving Poe_ _back._

_"Jess was right, you are a hard sell."_

_"Oh, you're just as cold as the rest of them," Poe groaned, clutching his chest. As a couple passed by them and shot Poe a wary smile, he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair to play off his theatrics. "Anyways, the village is usually even livelier at night. You'll definitely be able to go sight-seeing if that's what you want to do."_

_"I do," Rose said. "Would you like to be my guide?"_

_"What about your friends," Poe asked. Rose's smile faltered, feeling an unfamiliar pang in her side. "I mean, I'd love to be your guide. You're allowed to bring them along if you'd like. I just don't want you to abandon them for me or anything-"_

_"My friends are fine spending a few hours away from me. I want to spend the evening with you." Rose held out her hand to Poe. "Besides, I said I'd come find you later. It's later. That's a promise in my mind, and I don't break promises."_

_"Ouch, was that a personal dig?"_

_"Maybe."_

_As Poe reached out and clasped Rose's hand, her cheeks burned pink just as her blush had begun to subside. She smiled nervously. Poe was quick to notice._

_"Are you okay?" He asked. "Is it my hand? I'm sorry, sometimes it gets a little clammy."_

_"No, it's not that. I was just...I was expecting your arm," Rose said._

_"Oh. Well, you can hold my arm if you want to instead," he said. Rose shook her head._

_"It's okay. This way I can make sure you don't get lost," she teased._

_"Remind me to keep you away from Jessika."_

_The two, hand in hand, then began their journey off of the base. It was a short walk to the exit, and Rose smiled as the warm rays of the sun bathed her and Poe in yellow light._

_"She seems nice, though," Rose said._

_"Not to me," he whined. "She says I'm too cocky, that I need to be knocked down a peg." He stuck out his bottom lip, prompting laughter from Poe._

_"I'll balance out her teasing, then. You are my hero, after all," Rose said, copying his dramatic tone. Poe stuck out his chest with a grin._

_"Am I?"_

_"Don't push it, fly boy."_

_"As you wish, miss future-general."_

_Poe, it seemed, took his time walking through the crowded open space in a zig zag path, waving to fellow pilots and soldiers. Their questioning looks were impossible for Rose to ignore, but Poe responded to none. If Rose had really been in a rush to see the village, as she'd given the impression of earlier, she'd have been more annoyed with his clear flaunting. What he was flaunting or why he was flaunting it, she was unsure of, though she felt proud to be shown off in such a manner. It wasn't like the men in her kingdom that preferred to exhibit her as if she was a trick pony in a palace auction. Poe's gaze felt warmer; he didn't see her as a prize to be won. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had no knowledge of her status. He was just proud to be in the company of a girl rescued from a planet already forgotten by the galaxy._

_As the two passed over the crest of a hill, leaving the base behind them, Rose turned to Poe with a smile. She shielded her eyes from the sun. His dark eyes had already rested upon her._

_"You have a lot of friends," Rose noted_

" _It's easy to get to know everyone here when you're around long enough. We aren't a very big base."_

_"Yet you spend the evening with me?"_

_"You're an interesting person. Why wouldn't I want to spend the evening with you? Besides, it's a part of my job. All a part of recruiting you," Poe teased with a wink. Rose hummed, leaning into Poe._

_"I'm lucky to be targeted by the rebellion's future co-general," she said. Poe smiled, and she turned her stare away, dropping her hand and allowing the sun on her face once more._

_"And I'm lucky to be convincing the other future co-general to join me."_

_Their feet scuffed against the ground as the two gradually leaned towards each other, their sides bumping every few minutes as they progressed down the winding, dirty road. Rose did her best to ignore Poe's stare, her eyes trained on the pebbles and flowers that lined the wagon-trodden path. A silence had descended upon them once more, but it only peaceful as Rose listened to the sound of insects chirping in the overgrown fields. Then, as quickly as the walk had begun, it ended as the village appeared just beyond another hill. The walk did little but remind Rose of days she spent in old meadows with Robbie, or the times she walked through forests with her dearest friends. Yet, despite the sorrow such memories evoked, there was a sense of joy she felt in Poe's company as they stood atop a hill looking down upon the village Poe held so fondly. As the two began to make their way through city gates, Rose looked at Poe once more. He glanced away to pretend, unconvincingly, to be very interested in a store front's sign. Despite his penchant for dramatics, his acting did little to fool Rose._

_"You know," Rose began, "I missed this."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Villages like this, I suppose. I spent a lot of time in the kingdom's capital growing up, but I had the privilege to see the more rural areas of the planet during my formative years. It's been a very long time, though. I only got to see those villages again during the evacuations." As a child ran across their path, Rose blinked rapidly to dry any tears that had formed. "I'd almost forgotten that places like this exist."_

_"It gets better," Poe said, leaning down to Rose's level. The noise in the village had risen considerably as Poe and Rose ventured further into bustling streets filled with people basking in the late afternoon sun as they ran between market stalls and stores._

_"It's very loud," Rose mumbled. Poe's lips brushed against her ear._

_"Just let me know if it gets too overwhelming, okay?" Poe murmured. Rose flinched, eyes widened as she turned to look at Poe. Their noses were just inches apart. Poe slowly smiled. "I got you, don't worry."_

_Rose hoped her sigh of relief wasn't too obvious when Poe broke away. He pulled her towards a brightly coloured corner of the street market. The older woman behind the open air counter attached to a small, crowded store waved to Poe. The corners of her eyes wrinkled with past smiles._

_"Eyra-Bea!" Poe greeted. He leaned across the counter to kiss her cheek, and she swatted him away._

_"You again? You were just here this morning!" Eyra groaned as she feigned annoyance. Her playful frown soon gave way to a smile, and her grey eyes flitted over to Rose, who'd shrunken behind Poe's stature. He gently nudged her into the spotlight while Rose tried to ignore her burning cheeks under Eyra's warm gaze._

_"This is the girl I was telling you about," Poe said. Rose narrowed her eyes at Poe, to which he merely responded with a wink._

_"Rose?" Eyra asked. She reached across the counter, enclosing the skin of Rose's cheek in a gentle pinch. She let go, then busied herself behind the counter. Rose ran a hand over her cheek. It reminded her of the nannies that had cared for her when she was a child. As she remembered old nursery rhymes sang to scare away her nightmares, Rose found her eyes watering. Poe gave her a questioning look, noticing the glaze her eyes had taken on, and she shook her head as if to say she'd explain later, despite having no intention of doing so._

_"That's me," Rose said. Eyra, with her gaze still focused on the floor, smiled._

_"I'm Eyra-Bea, but you can call me Eyra if you want," she said. She stood up again, her hands still hidden behind the counter, to look Rose in the eye. "I'm so sorry to hear about your planet, dear."_

_"It's okay," Rose said. She mustered a small smile. "I'm very lucky to be here. I'm sure you know if he told you about me, but Poe saved my life."_

_"He did say that, but I was hoping for your confirmation. I wasn't sure if he was fibbing," Eyra said. She winked at Rose, then turned her back to them._

_"Oh, come on, Eyra," Poe groaned. He looked at Rose, squeezing her hand gently to draw her attention back to him. "I don't know why everyone hates me, just don't listen to them."_

_"You're so dramatic, Poe," Eyra called over her shoulder. Rose laughed, leaning briefly against Poe as she dropped her gaze once more. It was hard, she thought, looking at the brightest spot in the sky for too long._

_"I don't know, I think my dramatics are charming," Poe said. "Don't you agree, Rose?"_

_"I haven't decided yet," she replied, earning a laugh from the older woman. Poe leaned down towards Rose again, his hand suddenly leaving her grip._

_"I'll be back in a minute, okay?" Poe said, his voice growing softer as he leaned in. Rose looked up at him, leaning away as she nodded. He looked up at Eyra._

_"Yes, Poe, I'll watch over her," Eyra said, glancing over her shoulder. Poe grinned._

_"She has eyes in the back of her head," he whispered to Rose. Before she could respond, he turned and jogged down the crowded streets, shouting apologies to those he bumped into on the way. Rose watched fondly with her hands clasped behind her back, but she was soon pulled from her trance by Eyra's muffled voice. Once Poe had disappeared into a gathering, Rose turned back to Eyra._

_"I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that," Rose said._

_"Poe seems to enjoy your company," Eyra said. Rose's cheeks flushed again. It seemed as though her face was permanently red in the company of Poe and his friends._

_"Oh," Rose said, her voice louder than she'd expected. She cleared her throat. "We haven't known each other for long. Just two days, really. He seems to just find me intriguing, I think."_

_"Well, he talked an awful lot about you when he dropped by the store front this morning. He said he brought you a flower when you woke up." Eyra smiled. "Poe spoke very highly of you, Rose. He's a sweet young man."_

_"He is very sweet," Rose agreed. "I've really enjoyed his company so far." She reached up behind her ear, then felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered the flower he'd gotten for her, which he so delicately slid behind her ear earlier that day. Her eyes widened. She'd lost it. She couldn't remember when or where it had fallen off. Eyra continued to speak as Rose stared at the ground, already beginning to conjure up an apology that she could present to Poe upon his return._

_"He told me you might be joining this resistance base?" Eyra asked, gazing out over the crowd. She paused, turning to look at Rose. Rose had steadily grown paler since her realization, though she'd still maintained a prim, pleasant smile while she looked at Eyra. Eyra paused. "Are you alright, dear? You look a little sickly."_

_"I've lost the flower," Rose blurted out. "The one that Poe gave to me this morning, I lost it."_

_"Oh, don't be so silly, it's just a flower." Eyra reached out, grasping Rose's arm. "Don't worry. Small mistakes happen. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"_

_"Okay," Rose breathed. She smiled slightly, nodding at Eyra, and Eyra turned away again to continue her work below the counter. If Rose had been of better mind, she would have asked Eyra questions about her new companion, though the questions failed to meet her mind as she stood still and watched the crowd for a familiar face. When Poe finally emerged, running towards them with a hand hidden behind his back, Rose anxiously ran to meet him in the middle of the street with widened eyes._

_"Hey, Rose, what's wrong?" Poe asked, his smile fading as he looked over her shoulder at Eyra. Rose grasped his arm and he looked back at her._

_"I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I lost the flower you brought me this morning. I know it's just a flower, but I feel so bad. I didn't mean to lose it. I don't even know when it fell!"_

_Rose expected a half-hearted shrug, or maybe a begrudged forgiveness, but Poe just grinned, shaking his head._

_"Well, I noticed," Poe began. He pulled out a brightly coloured bouquet from behind his back. "That's why I got you some replacements. There are a few to choose from here, and enough replacements if you lose anymore. I was worried the one this morning just wasn't to your taste-"_

_Rose cut off his rambling with an embrace, throwing her arms over his shoulders and pressing her cheek to his chest. Poe stumbled backwards, then slowly wrapped his arms around her back._

_"They're just flowers, Rose," Poe murmured, lips brushing the side of her head. Rose nodded, then stepped back, watching as Poe's hands slowly fell back to his side. She cleared her throat, running a hand through her hair._

_"I know. It's just very sweet. Thank you," she said. She wanted to express her gratitude for his kindness, as his actions had helped distract her from the ever-present memories of her burning planet. It had been hard for her to continue on as if her only home wasn't just obliterated along with all aspirations she'd known, though Poe's presence gave her something to look forward to. As Poe grasped Rose's hand once again, pulling her back towards Eyra's stand, Rose struggled to find the words to express this thought and fell silent again, turning to smile at Eyra._

_"Alright, you two, have fun with your evening," Eyra said. She placed two neatly wrapped packages into a paper bag then handed it over to Poe. She looked at Rose. "One of those is for you two, the other's for your friends. Poe told me they just arrived on base."_

_Poe reached into his pocket, holding the flowers and bag under his arm, and Eyra shook her head, pushing Poe's hand away from his pocket._

_"Eyra, come on," Poe groaned._

_"Stop, Poe. It's a gift to your new friends. Consider this a part of your recruitment_ _strategy," Eyra said. She turned, winking at Rose._

_"Thank you so much," Rose said. Eyra reached across the counter and grasped Rose's outstretched hand._

_"Just keep him out of trouble, okay?"_

_"I'll try my best," Rose said. Poe shook his head, though his smile still remained._

_"Thanks, Eyra," he said. He looked down at Rose, then gently tugged her hand so she'd follow him down the streets. As they entered the bustling crowd once more, Eyra shouted after them._

_"And don't let him get too carried away!"_

_Rose looked up at Poe with a mischievous smirk as they delved further into crowded streets._

_"I have a question," Rose said._

_"What is it?"_

_"What exactly did you tell Eyra earlier today? She told me that you spoke highly of me."_

_"Oh, she was exaggerating," Poe said. "You're actually super annoying."_

_"Well, I'll make sure to never call you sweet again," Rose said. She looked up at him with a small smile as her cheeks flushed, and Poe quickly returned the grin. A moment of silence passed as the two stared at each other. Then Poe shook his head._

_"All nice things, Rose, don't worry."_

* * *

_It had taken them a while, but Poe and Rose found an empty picnic table bordering the village square after some walking and careful watching. They'd climbed atop the wooden surface and sat down cross-legged next to each other to eat the desserts Eyra had packed for them. Rose was amazed by her first bite - she'd never tasted something so wonderful, not even from the palace chefs that she adored so dearly. As Rose finished her pastry, she tried her best to ignore Poe's less-than-subtle staring. His technique, it seemed, was to glance at her out of the corner of his eye, a smile gracing plump lips. If she caught his eye, she was sure she'd blush like a fool, and she was growing sick of having her emotions so clearly read by him._

_"I told you they were great," Poe said. Rose shook her head as she wiped her fingers on her dress. It wasn't very proper, but it wouldn't kill her to forget her castle manners every once in a while._

_"That's an understatement," she said, turning to Poe. He looked away quickly, gazing instead at the gathering of moving bodies in the centre of the square. "How did you meet Eyra, anyways? You two seem quite close."_

_"I met her the first_ _time I visited this village. It was shortly after I was directed to this base following my stint with the republic. She saw me wandering around the market and called me into her store. I actually helped put in the outside counter that you saw today. It brings over a lot more traffic. Anyways, she gave me some food and sat me down and told me all these interesting things I could go see around the village. She was really nice to me. She kind of reminded me of a grandmother I never had," Poe explained. Rose smiled, resting her elbows on her knees as she shifted herself on the table so that she'd be facing him. Poe noticed the movement and copied her, smiling softly. "So I kept visiting her when I'd come to the village on breaks, and she remembered me so she'd call me inside for a talk, and I'd make sure to buy snacks from her. She lost her son in this war, so I think she took to me because I remind her of him. He was a pilot, too."_

_"That's awful," Rose murmured, her smile falling. Poe nodded._

_"That's why she has so much faith in our cause, though. She wants to see us win. I know a lot of people in this village are unhappy about the rebels building a base on their planet, but she's always been supportive."_

_Rose was silent for a moment, staring at a crack in the wooden table, until she felt Poe's eyes burning into her skin. She looked up quickly with a frown._

_"What is it?"_

_"You have some crumbs on the side of your mouth," Poe said with a warm smile. Before Rose could wipe her sleeve against her lips, Poe reached out, brushing them off of her face with the pad of his thumb. Rose's lips parted in shock, her face burning once again, and she quickly cleared her throat as she looked past her shoulder and pointed at the square._

_"What are they doing?" Rose asked. Poe glanced over his shoulder._

_"They're getting ready to dance to the next song. It's a party every night in this village. I have no clue how they're so energetic every day. Maybe there's something special in Eyra's pastries."_

_Rose watched them grasp each other's hands, weaving amongst all the bodies. Her expression softened._

_"It must be nice," she murmured. Poe huffed and stood up from the table. Rose watched as he extended his hand towards her._

_"Let's join them," he said. Rose was silent, looking between his smile and outstretched hand, then shook her head._

_"No."_

_"No?" Poe sounded incredulous. "Why not?"_

_"That dance looks very specific," she said. Poe laughed. "I'm being serious! I don't know what dances you grew up with, but I don't recognize it."_

_"It's not specific at all, Rose."_

_"All dances are. We had several traditional ones on my planet. Everyone knew them, so they were fairly common, but some had so many steps you wouldn't be able to recognize a pattern-"_

_"Not all dances are choreographed," Poe interrupted. "There aren't any steps to this once. You just do what feels right. You let the music guide you! My flight crew loves to come here for celebrations after missions. It's life in its best form," he said. Rose grimaced and Poe shook his extended hand for emphasis. "It's fun, I promise."_

_"I don't want to look foolish."_

_"Well, if you do, I'll do something even dumber. That way, I'll be the weirdest one. You'll only be second weirdest."_

_Rose laughed, then she slid her hand into Poe's as she shook her head. Poe stared at her for a second, then leaned towards her. Rose backed up, her legs brushing against the back of the table. She could already feel splinters rubbing at her skin, though Poe's close proximity made it hard for her to worry._

_"What are you doing?" she asked. Poe bit his lip, then withdrew slightly, his hand grazing her cheek as he tucked a stem behind her ear._

_"I was putting another flower in your hair. I think it looks nice on you," he said. Rose glanced over her shoulder. The bouquet he'd bought was sitting directly behind her. Her cheeks flushed._ Of course, _she thought ruefully,_ that's why he was leaning so close. 

_"So I didn't look nice before?" she teased._

_"Ah, stop twisting my words," Poe groaned. He picked up another flower and tucked it behind his ear. "I just think the colours really bring out your smile. That's all."_

_Rose barely had time to process his comment before Poe was pulling her into the crowd. He took her other hand and drew it towards his shoulder, prompting a look of alarm from Rose. Her eyes widened even more when he placed his hand on her waist._

_"What are you doing_ _now?" Rose asked. It was peculiarly similar to dances she'd shared with Robbie and other knights in the castle at formal events._

_"I'm copying the other coup- er, pairs," he said. He held her other hand in the air, then began to pull her around the square with large steps. Rose fell against him, laughing at the way he clumsily tugged her around. Her feet crossed over his and their knees knocked against each other._

_"Poe!" Rose exclaimed._

_"Just go with it!" he laughed. He took her other hand off of his shoulder and the two spun around the circle. Poe released one hand and she twirled outwards, her dress flying up like petals on a flower. She spun back towards him and they began to skip across the chaos-filled square._

_I_ _t_ _had been such a long time since she'd felt so lively. Even in the years leading up to the first order's invasion of her planet, there were rarely moments that lasted as long as this in which she felt so free. She'd been so burned by many duties, it was easy to forget what it was like to feel such glee. As Poe pulled Rose back to him following another dazzling spin, this time placing his hand back on her waist, Rose felt a pang of pain. It was easy to lose herself in the moment and forget that she was staring at a strange man who'd captured her attention amidst perhaps one of the greatest losses of her life. It was a perfect moment, though. She felt entirely safe._

 _As the song came to an end, their eyes met; for a second, all was still. Then, applause erupted for a band she'd failed to spot over so many heads, and Rose reluctantly pulled away from Poe to clap for the musicians._ _She was wrong. This dance, despite Poe's familiar hold, was nothing like the castle festivities._

_"That was fun," she said. She breathed deeply and pushed her hair out of her face, smiling as her fingers slid over the cool petals of a yellow flower._

_"I told you it would be," Poe said. "I'd ask you for another, but the sun's starting to set. I should get you back to your friends before they worry."_

_"They always worry," she said. She reached out, taking Poe's hand again. "Just one more. Please?"_

_"Alright, Rose, your wish is my command. But only because you asked so nicely."_

* * *

_On their walk back to the base, rather than joining hands, the two had linked arms. Rose held_ _the bouquet in one hand and examined the petals with the fingers of her other while Poe held the pastries for her friends. The flowers lining the roads began to retreat back into their green coverings beneath a darkened, orange sky. Rose leaned her head on Poe's shoulder._

_"Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun," Rose said._

_"I should thank you for finding me. I had a lot of fun, too. Next time you can lead me in the dance," he said. Rose only smiled and shook her head._

_The two neared the base, and while soldiers still ran amongst crowded ships, it was noticeably quieter than it had been when they left. Poe weaved his way through the parked aircrafts and lingering social groups until he reached a solitary x-wing. While its paint was chipped and peeling in several spots, Poe's grin was undeniable as he looked down at Rose for her reaction._

_"Is this your ship?" she asked after noticing his stare._

_"Yeah! It still needs a lot of work on the outside, but it's good for flight now," Poe explained. He walked up to the ship and gave the metal wing a hollow pat before turning back to smile at Rose. "Do you want to go up? I can just fly you over the village and show you how bright it is at night. I think you'd really like it."_

_Rose felt her stomach drop, imagining the ground disappearing beneath her. She bit her lip, looking between the x-wing and Poe, then shook her head slightly. Poe's smile faded. She stepped towards him quickly._

_"I'd love to, Poe. IT's just that...I don't know if I'm a fan of flying right now."_

_"Oh, that's okay! I get it!" he said. He shrugged it off, his smile returning. "I'll just have to make you trust me more, right?"_

_Rose paused, then nodded._

_"Right."_

* * *

Two weeks following the first meeting, the two squadrons had come up with an airtight plan. Nothing could be flawless, but Eve was confident that this was as close as it could get. On the night before the morning on which their mission would begin, Eve found herself struggling to sleep. Her room, nearly empty from trinkets or posters to line the wall, was silent in a heavy darkness. Eve had tried every position on her bed, hoping to find sleep, but ended up sitting with her back pressed to the wall after hours of nothing. She glanced at the clock. Only a couple hours were left before takeoff. She stood up, grabbed her pre-packed bags, and left her room.

The former queen made her way down the largely deserted hallways, nodding to those that she passed, and entered once again into near darkness in the hangar. The hangar was almost silent, save for BB-8's distant beeping which bounced between the metal surfaces of stagnant aircrafts. Eve's footsteps echoed as she navigated her way through the crowded space with a hand in front of her. Finally, she reached a familiar, dimly lit area in which Poe sat, working beneath his x-wing for a change. As Eve approached, she dropped her bags with a heavy thump to announce her presence, causing Poe to flinch and drop his wrench on the concrete floor. Poe looked around frantically for the source of the sound before his eyes settled on Eve. His lips curved into a smile at the sight of her green jumpsuit, making an appearance for the second time, and Eve walked up to the x-wing.

"Ro-" Poe cleared his throat. "Eve. Hey."

They hadn't spoken much since their sparring incident. Poe'd approached her at their second group meeting and apologized profusely, as privately as he could in such a busy space, but Eve brushed him off and assured him, saying that she took no offence. However, she continued to brush off his attempts to initiate conversation outside of topics pertaining to the mission, which caused Poe to withdraw, only speaking to Eve during meetings.

"Hi, Poe."

BB-8 watched the two nervously from below the x-wing. Standing almost alone together, with the company of BB-8, felt almost foreign to Eve now. She leaned forward and reached up, pressing her hand into the x-wing's outstretched win. Poe stood up and walked past her, their shoulders brushing on his way to the tool bench. Eve bit her lip, then looked down at his droid companion.

"And hello, BB-8. Long time no see, huh?"

BB-8 beeped enthusiastically, spinning in circles around her legs. Eve laughed, then turned around to watch Poe. 

"You're here early for the mission, I assume?" Poe asked, his back still facing her. Eve nodded slightly.

"Yes," she said. Poe nodded and turned around, leaning back against the cabinet of tools. Eve cleared her throat and tucked her caramel hair behind her ear. Poe crossed his arms over his chest. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come here early and see if anyone was around. If not, I was just going to sit by the ships and wait. I've already wandered around the base for a bit. I'm too tired to do anymore walking, but too awake to attempt any extra rest."

"I understand," Poe said quietly. "I haven't slept either."

BB-8 beeped disapprovingly.

"You're right, buddy, we're both setting awful examples for our squadron," Poe said. "But if you rat us our, we'll never let you hear the end of it."

"He wouldn't rat me out, would you, BB-8?" Eve asked. BB-8 beeped and Poe rolled his eyes.

"So this is what betrayal feels like," he mumbled. He walked up to Eve again, close enough to make her heart race with a feeling reminiscent of the past. Her cheeks flushed, though her expression remained unchanged; she'd grown much better at hiding her shock. "Excuse me," Poe said.

"What?"

"You're standing in front of my ladder, Eve." Poe gestured behind her and her eyes widened as she looked over at the ticket ladder that led up to the seat of his x-wing. She quickly side-stepped, allowing Poe to go past, and watched as he climbed up.

"What are you doing?" Eve asked. Poe waved her up, then jumped into his seat. She looked down at the round droid, still brushing against her legs, and he tilted his head, just as confused as her. Reluctantly, Eve followed Poe up the ladder, stopping at the top to peer into the cockpit. "Well?" she asked, eyes flitting to Poe, who'd leaned back in his x-wing with a smirk.

"I thought I'd ask if you wanted a quick ride before we leave. Just to get you used to it," he said.

"Why would I need to get used to your x-wing? It's a one-seat model, and I don't know how to fly. There isn't nearly enough time for a flight lesson right now, if that's what you implying."

"You're so stubborn," Poe threw his arms up in the air. "You know, most of your squadron attended the optional training lessons we were offering to your squadron the other day," he said. Eve rolled her eyes.

"I skipped that one in favour of training that served my strengths as well as my team member's strengths, for those that chose to accompany me. There's no need for me to learn how to fly if I can serve the team with improved skills elsewhere. Besides, we'll only need to fly in dire circumstances, which shouldn't occur if everything goes well."

"You know as well as I do that things always go wrong."

"Luckily for me, I have a whole squadron of pilots accompanying my girls on this mission," Eve said, lowering her voice with a smirk. Poe watched her for a moment, then shook his head and spread his legs, patting the space left on the seat. Eve laughed surprisingly loudly, the noise echoing through the abandoned hangar.

"What?" Poe asked, lips spreading into a grin.

"You must be joking. There's no room!"

"There's plenty of room! It'll be fun, Eve, come on," he pleaded. He stuck out his bottom lip, prompting another laugh from the former queen. She shook her head as she bent over, resting her elbows on the cool metal of the x-wing while she leaned over the cockpit. Poe's cheeks flushed as his dark eyes met hers.

"From what I recall, I already told you that I'm opposed to flight lessons."

"I've been told I'm a great negotiator," Poe countered, biting his lip.

"Really? By who?"

"You, in the future. You'll say that once I've got you in the sky after I finally get you to take me up on my offer," he said. Eve allowed her amusement to show in a small smile. She dropped her gaze, shaking her head slightly.

"Sometimes I forget how funny you were."

"From what I remember, you liked telling me that I was dramatic, not funny," Poe said, mimicking her accent. Eve laughed.

"Did I really? Oh, you make me sound so mean."

"You were just joking, don't worry." Poe's smile began to fade as their eyes locked. "You know, bits and pieces hit me sometimes. I kind of forgot you existed until Leia told us we'd met before. It's weird how those things slip from your mind.

"Yes, it is," she said, nodding. Thoughts of an elderly woman with a name she'd forgotten crossed her mind briefly. She remembered the taste of flaky dough on her tongue in a lively square, and the smell of multicoloured flowers. "I've forgotten so much, too. Though, I suppose I've been actively avoiding those memories."

"Why?"

"It's just hard sometimes," she murmured. Her smile had began to fade as well, though her eyes were still as bright as they had been when Poe was focused on making her laugh. "Sometimes it's easier to not think about those times. And I don't like to be distracted from my work."

"I'm sorry," Poe said. Eve nodded. "And I'm sorry for mentioning Saphira when we were sparring."

"Poe-"

"I know you said that it was okay, but I feel awful. You looked really upset."

"Upset is an overstatement," Eve said. "I wasn't upset. I was just shocked. I didn't expect you to remember, nor have I thought of her in a while." She paused, feeling her gut twist as she remembered the sight of Poe laying on the floor beneath her. "I'm sorry I acted so harshly. I shouldn't have disarmed you in that way. It was an overreaction on my part, and it incredibly poor instruction."

"It's okay," Poe said with a shrug. "You told me not to get distracted. My fault." He shot her a good-natured smile, which she warily returned, then said "What happened to her, though? Saphira? Not to pry or anything..."

"Oh, she's fine," Eve said. She ran a hand through her hair as she sighed. It had been a while since she'd worn it down like this. She couldn't help but wonder, briefly, if Poe'd noticed. "She's on one of the temporary bases for our citizens. It's a safe location, as far from the empire's reach as one can be. She's mostly safe," Eve explained.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Shortly after I last saw you. When we left your base, one of our first stops was the one she's on now. She has a lovely stable, and I'm sent semi-regular updates on her development and overall wellbeing. I miss her dearly, but it's hard for her to be with me when I travel so much. Besides, war's hardly a place for a creature like her."

"Really? That doesn't exactly line up with the stories I've heard."

"Stories?" Eve asked slowly. She leaned closer, lips parted slightly to reveal a sideways grin. "About dragons?"

"Yeah," Poe breathed. He swallowed thickly. "I've heard a lot about them in battle specifically."

"I haven't heard any. Perhaps you should enlighten me."

"Perhaps I should," Poe murmured.

As the two exchanged another warm smile, footsteps echoed through the hangar accompanied by the familiar laughter of Eve and Poe's lieutenants. Eve leaned back as Aska and Jessika emptied the lit space, followed shortly by the rest of their teams. Eve climbed down the ladder, and Poe came down behind her. As Eve's feet hit the ground, she ignored a concerned frown from Aska and moved to stand at the front of the group. Poe quickly joined her at her side.

" _You two_ are here early," L'ulo commented. Jessika hummed, raising an eyebrow at Poe.

"Good commanders are always early to a mission," Eve said. Poe smirked and nodded.

"I'm glad to see you're all here with time to spare. Are there any questions before we go?"

"I have a question," Snap said, raising his hand. "What were you really doing here?" he asked. It wasn't private knowledge that the two hadn't exactly been speaking for the past couple weeks. Eve glanced at Poe, who rolled his eyes as quiet laughter spread throughout the group.

"Alright, then, everyone pack your gear into your ships. We leave on the hour," Eve said. She exchanged one last smile with Poe before picking up her bag and heading towards the ship they'd been assigned for the mission. As Eve slowly left the circle, her friends following close behind, Poe's voice still rose above the group.

"If you were really curious, Snap, I was telling Commander Irowen about my best dragon stories. That's all."

Eve was thankful to be walking at the front of her group. It was easier to smile in solitude.


	8. Suite Dreams

The two squadrons separated themselves into the five ships they'd chosen during the planning stages of their mission. Jessika, Poe and Snap flew their x-wings while Kare and L'ulo piloted two small transport ships that carried Eve's squadron in groups of three. This left Poe with a lot of time to think and no one in his immediate vicinity to share his thoughts with, asides from BB-8 of course. He didn't want to bother BB-8 with endless ramblings that BB-8 already listened to for hours on end, so he was stuck. After half an hour of flight spent listening to music that BB-8 played for Poe on a tape, the tired pilot switched through the radio controls until he landed on a private channel with Jessika. The music in the cockpit halted.

"Roger Roger," Poe said through a hand clamped over his mouth. He heard Jessika sigh, taking a minute to pause before speaking.

"Dameron, I was listening to a really interesting story tape that Snap leant me."

"Well, I'm bored. Want to talk?" Poe asked

"It's not long until we jump to hyperdrive. Can't you wait until then?"

"I want to talk now," he whined. Jessika scoffed.

"Fine. What's going on in your x-wing, Poe?"

"I was listening to music."

"Cool," she said.

A moment of silence passed before Poe cleared his throat.

"Jess?"

"Yes, Dameron?"

"How are the other ships doing? The ones with L'ulo and Kare, I mean. Snap too, I guess," he said. BB-8 beeped quietly, and while Poe's distracted mind missed most of it, he couldn't help but catch the mention of Eve's name. He cleared his throat again. "And how are the other passengers doing?"

"Kriff, Poe, is this about her again?" Jessika asked. Her tone of disbelief was not lost on his ears. Poe forced a laugh. 

"Are you kidding me? No! Jess, I'm just being a good commander."

"Well, then, why don't you radio them yourself and ask how they're doing?" Jessika challenged. Poe fell silent. "Just what I thought."

"Oh, for Kriff's sakes, Jessika, can you just check for me? Please? I get the feeling that the blue squadron doesn't like me, and I don't want them to get annoyed by my voice and I-"

"Okay, okay, fine," Jessika groaned. "Just give me a minute."

Their radio channel went silent for a few minutes as Poe continued to cruise through empty space, navigating his way around small debris. The transport ships flew slowly ahead of Poe and Jessika while Snap led the way. Poe could barely make out silhouettes through the windows of the transport ships. At one point, he thought he might have seen Eve standing at the window in the back of the ship directly ahead of him. He couldn't be sure if it was her, and felt silly for wondering if she was looking at him directly, but the thought still crossed his mind. After a few minutes, the radio surged back to life, pulling Poe from his thoughts.

"Poe?" Jessika asked.

"Yep, I'm here."

"They're fine," Jessika said.

"That's it? It took you that long for that response? I was starting to worry," Poe groaned. Jessika scoffed.

"You're lousy at thanking people."

"Thank you," he drawled. "But is that really it?'

"It took me so long because Lin's sitting in the seat next to L'ulo in their ship just so she can use the radio to talk to Eve. When I tried cutting in, Lin asked me a million questions about how my flight's doing," Jessika said. 

"What were they talking about?"

"The mission, I think," Jessika said. "It sounded like they were talking about our target. Lin did most of the talking. I didn't even realize it was Eve on the other end until I said hi."

"What were they saying?" Poe asked. Jessika sighed loudly.

"Poe, just radio in yourself. It wasn't important from what I could tell. Probably just nervous chatter from Lin."

"Well, if it's about the mission, I should know."

"So join the call," Jessika exclaimed. "I'm not going to keep doing this back and forth. I have a tape to listen to."

"Fine. Thanks, Jess," Poe muttered. He switched the radio off, and BB-8 beeped behind him. Poe rolled his eyes, laughing. "Don't be so dramatic. I was _not_ staring at her."

BB-8 beeped again. Poe shook his head and quickly tapped at the radio again as he narrowed his eyes at the dark window of the ship ahead. He couldn't see the silhouette anymore.

"You're going to get me into trouble with her if you keep talking like that," Poe said, glancing over his shoulder at his droid. He pressed a finger to his lips then cleared his throat as he faced forwards again, opening the radio signal once more. Immediately, he was met with Lin's voice, though was alarmed to hear such worry rather than her normal bubbly tone.

"Are you sure it'll work, Eve? What if she recognizes you?" Lin asked in a hushed whisper.

"She won't," Eve said, her voice strong and confident.

"But what if our covers are seen through?"

"They're air tight, Lin," Eve said. Her voice began to shake. She cleared her throat, then huffed a breath of air against her mic. Poe winced. It was poor microphone etiquette. "Robbie found them for us."

"And Leia vetted them," Poe said. The line fell silent.

"Commander Dameron?" Lin squeaked. Poe grimaced.

"Hey. I just wanted to check in and see how you guys were doing," Poe said, his voice strained. A moment of silence followed before Eve took an audibly deep breath.

"We're fine, Commander Dameron," Eve finally said.

"That's good. Glad to hear it," Poe said. Another awkward silence followed.

"Did you need to speak to L'ulo?" Lin asked.

"Or Kare?" Eve added.

"No, I just wanted to check in with you guys."

"Us specifically?" Lin questioned. Poe could almost hear her frown through the radio; Lin had shown herself to be very expressive in meetings and flight lessons. She'd reached out to every member of Poe's squadron in an attempt to befriend them before the mission. She was, in a way, the blue squadron's olive branch. He'd spoken to every member of Eve's squadron, but Lin was by far the most genuine. The others, while friendly in their own ways, had varying levels of aloofness that made conversation strained. None, though, were comparable to Eve's steely composure in meetings. She'd been accommodating and friendly enough, but she made no effort to initiate conversations outside of the control room. In some ways, she'd seemed intimidated by his loud crew, though it was hard to tell with her constantly narrowed brows and firm lip.

"No, sorry, not you two specifically. I just meant you guys in general. I mean, how are your crews doing?" Poe asked slowly.

"We're chipper!" Lin exclaimed. Eve sighed against the mic again.

"Yes, we're doing fine on our ship as well."

"Oh, well, that's great. No bumps in the road yet!" Poe said. Lin laughed. Eve was silent, but he imagined she was smiling. "Sorry, was I interrupting something earlier?"

"No," Eve said quickly.

"Just nervous chatter, I suppose!" Lin added. "You saw how talkative I was in flight lessons, Commander Dameron!"

"I should rest," Eve said. "Radio in if you need anything."

Her line went quiet. Poe held his breath, then reached to turn off his own mic. Lin spoke up before his hand could reach the button.

"Do you want to talk, Poe?"

"I'm okay, Lin, thank you," Poe said. BB-8 beeped, his head spinning around gleefully.

"Aw, are you lonely, Poe? L'ulo, he's lonely! We have to cheer him up," Lin whined.

"No, Lin, don't listen to BB-8. He's just messing around," Poe said quickly. He turned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes at his cheeky droid. "Right, BB-8?" he asked. BB-8 beeped, prompting a reluctant groan from Lin.

"Okay," Lin grumbled. L'ulo's voice in the background was too faint for Poe to hear, but Lin's laugh rang clear through his radio. "L'ulo thinks you're lonely."

"Well, he's wrong, too." Poe cleared his throat. "Back to your duties, both of you."

Lin giggled. "Aye aye, commander!"

Poe sighed, pressing his thumb into the red switch to cut off communication between their ships. He looked forward again. The figure was back. He wondered, fleetingly, if Eve was thinking about him, wondering if he was looking right back at her. His cheeks flushed. It was foolish to play with such fantasies.

"Hey, BB-8?" Poe asked.

BB-8 beeped.

"Play my tape, buddy."

Music flooded the cockpit. Snap's voice rose from the speakers embedded in Poe's helmet. 

"Alright, everybody, get your destinations locked in. We jump to hyperdrive in three . . . two . . . one . . ."

* * *

Flying down to Grendovir's surface was a piece of cake for Poe. He'd followed his assigned coordinates to a clear patch in a murky bog, as each ship had a different landing site for security purposes. After landing, Poe climbed out of his x-wing into the fresh air (though fresh was subjective) and waited for any type of signal while BB-8 rolled around Poe's feet, playing the same tinny music Poe'd grown so used to. It reminded him of a dance he'd once had, though the memories were blurry now. Suddenly, as Poe tapped his foot impatiently against the ground, the radio in Poe's x-wing sprang to life, voices echoing across his corner of the swamp.

"Help!" Lin screamed against the receiver. "A bog monster got our ship-"

"You never said there'd be giant things trying to kill us!" L'ulo shouted in the background. Lin huffed in frustration while Poe clambered up to the cockpit.

"I didn't know!" Lin whined. "L'ulo's trying to pull us out, but it's too strong!"

"Hang on!" Poe shouted as he opened his communication systems. "I'm on my way!"

Eve's voice floated calmly through the speakers. "We're coming as well, Lin. Please try to remain calm. Okay?"

"Calm?" L'ulo gasped. Poe grabbed his blaster and jumped down from the x-wing, landing next to a very frantic BB-8. L'ulo and Lin's frantic voices continued to rattle on behind him, accompanied by the shouts of Mai and Freya. There was a crunch of metal, then the sounds of stun blasts being fired off.

"Hey buddy, do you have the coordinates for L'ulo's landing site?" Poe asked, glancing at BB-8 as he checked the fuel in his blaster. BB-8 beeped, nodding his spherical head, and Poe nodded back at him. "Okay, lead the way."

Poe held his blaster in one hand as BB-8 rolled across the uneven surface, weaving between low hanging swamp trees and narrowly avoiding slippery slopes into murky waters. As they dashed through the dense forest, the sound of roars and a growing commotion grew increasingly clear. However, when Poe cut down the remaining branches blocking him from L’ulo’s landing site, he didn’t expect to find himself faced with a creature tall enough to completely engulf his x-wing. He almost didn't notice the small transport module wrapped in the beast's dark, sea green tentacles.

The door to the ship had been blocked by the creature's tentacle, but Freya and Mai had managed to open it far enough to stick their blasters out into the open air. However, this didn't give them much room to aim, sending their stun shots flying through the air at random angles. Poe ducked just as a familiar ring of green light passed over his head. Jessika and Snap had already arrived at the scene, using regular blaster shots as they took aim at the monster. The blasts, however, seemed to have no effect. Even when Snap shot a stun blast directly at it, the monster merely blinked its many, beady eyes and grunted in response while the ship's engine struggled to fight the lazy pull of the beast.

"How did this happen?" Poe shouted, lifting his blaster to shoot at the monster. One of its tentacles slammed the ground in front of them, causing Poe to jump back as Jessika grit her teeth. 

"We double checked everything. Life isn't sustainable in this swamp!" Jessika called out. Another tentacle slammed the ground, and Snap jumped over it as the beast aimed to knock him over.

"I guess it found a way!" Snap yelled. Before Poe could respond, the monster opened its mouth, lined with several rows of teeth, and let out a monstrous roar that shook Poe’s heart as he bent over, pressing his hands to his ears. The noise soon let up, and Poe stood again, raising his blaster and taking aim. Then, a hand touched his arm. 

Poe's head whipped to the side, eyes widened and arms tensing as he prepared for another fight. However, contrary to his fears of running into a scavenger or another unexpected swamp dweller, Poe's eyes fell upon Eve's neutral expression, her lips parted and eyes soft. She gently pressed the top of his arm, aiming his blaster towards the ground. Aska, Serena and Kare emerged from the trees behind Eve.

"Stop wasting your fuel on the creature," Eve said, her voice drifting like a cloud in the blue skies of Naboo. She looked towards Jessika and Snap, who continued in their efforts. Eve raised her voice. "Lower your weapons. You'll only agitate it more."

"Are you kidding me?" Jessika gasped. Eve stared at her silently, then turned her head and walked towards the water.

"Eve!" Poe shouted in protest. She ignored his calls as she carefully stepped into the murky pool. For a second, she paused, then continued to wade deeper and deeper into the water until it was up to her upper thighs. Though, she seemed careful to keep her hands above the water.

"Be careful, Roseyve!" Serena called out.

"I am," Eve said. Her voice was still calm, but there was an undeniable wavering. "I just need to get close enough."

With bated breath, Poe watched the former queen lift her hand up towards the monster, still a fair distance away from her stance. She lifted her right hand up towards the ship. As Freya's shaking hand fired another blast, Eve clenched her right hand into a fist, and the shot froze mid air. Poe sucked in a breath of air, feeling his stomach fall to his feet.

_She could use the force._

"Oh, kriff," Jessika breathed out. 

Eve lifted her left hand and twisted her right arm, balling the energy up into a sphere as Freya and Mai continued to shoot. Then, as the sphere drifted away from the ship, Eve released her hand. The shot exploded in the creature's face, and its tentacle loosened, allowing L'ulo to fly the ship out of its grip. Eve's hands fell at her sides, and the creature sunk down into the water with closing eyes, sending water sloshing at the pond's edge and coating Eve's stomach in the swamp slime. Before Poe could shout a curse of appraisal or shock, Aska and Serena rushed towards the water, grasping Eve's arms as her shoulders slumped and balance weakened. He hadn't noticed any change in her at first, but it'd grown glaringly obvious as she stumbled on the mud at the water's edge. Poe stepped forward, and Eve lifted her pale face to look up at him.

"Commander," Eve breathed out. She nodded slightly. "Get to your ship and move it to the village near by. I was told there was a farmer here that was willing to help if anything went wrong. BB-8 should already have his coordinate. I'll have Serena transfer them to Snap and Jessika. he doesn't know about the ships, but we can bribe him if it comes down to it."

"Eve," Poe said, his voice growing soft. He reached out for her, his fingertips grazing her chin, then withdrew his hand. "Are you okay?"

Eve nodded weakly. "Yes," she said. "I just need to sit down. I shouldn't be surprised. A lack of sleep hinders the mind." She cleared her throat and nodded to Aska. "We'll reconvene soon."

With Eve's arms thrown over Aska and Serena's shoulders, the trio turned their backs on Poe and began to walk towards Kare, who'd relayed Eve's instructions to L'ulo through a coms piece. Their walk was cut short when Poe spoke up again, causing Eve to throw a glance back at him over her shoulder.

"Are there any monsters I should be aware of?" he asked.

"This should be the only one. It's going to be stunned for a while," she said. "I'm sorry, Poe. I didn't know."

"That's okay!" He said. He waved a dismissive hand. "This can be our bump in the road, right?" he added. Eve was silent, but her lips twitched into a weakened smile before she turned her head again. Her group disappeared wordlessly into the trees. Poe slid his blaster into the holster on his hip and ran a hand through his hair, turning around to give instructions to Jessika and Snap. When he turned, though, they were already staring at him, as pale as Eve had been when she left the water.

"Did you know she could do that?" Snap asked with widened eyes. Poe's lips parted, and he shook his head once.

"No," he said.

"Are you serious? She never said a thing?" Jessika questioned. Poe clenched his jaw and he shook his head again, his gaze falling to the forest floor. He couldn't remember her alluding to anything so significant, but he had a hard time remembering her at all.

"Weren't you guys friends when you were younger?" Snap asked.

"I guess she's just good at keeping secrets," he mumbled. "When we met before, we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. I barely knew her. You might as well ask Jessika the same question." He cleared his throat, feeling heat spread across his cheeks. "Now, get back to your ships before it wakes up."

* * *

Before long, the two squadrons met at farm on the edge of a small village with dirt roads and run down vehicles. Poe and the other pilots hid their ships in the barn while Eve's squadron took their bags into the farmer's home, following a brief conversation outside between Eve and the old man. He seemed happy to have them, waving happily at the pilots as they steered their ships through open barn doors. Once parked at the back of the barn, the pilots stood behind their ships and changed into the clothes that had been packed for them. Poe quickly found himself wearing a cool, silken shirt with a bright blue vest, which BB-8 seemed to like very much. Poe couldn't remember the last time he'd dressed so nicely.

By the time Poe and his squadron emerged from the stables which bags thrown over their shoulders, Eve's squadron was already waiting by the street with multiple speeders. The speeders were all of surprisingly high quality, but were subtle enough to allow them to blend with the lines of traffic heading into the Grendovir capital. They wanted to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves on their first day. The girls in Eve's squadron had already changed into their clothes for the mission, varying in styles but all bright in colour. Eve herself wore a large pair of sunglasses and a hat with a brim that could cover the craters on Endor. Her dress clung to her body, ending above her knees. Only a thin, shimmering shawl covered her shoulders, which the dress left bare. 

Together, the squadrons split themselves up amongst the speeders based on the identities they'd be assuming. Poe admittedly had neglected to pay attention during that specific meeting. Eve and Aska had already sorted out the identity assignments during the time they spent avoiding flight lessons, and Poe was quite confident in their abilities to assign the roles accordingly. However, when Eve climbed into Poe's speeder, he barely hid his shocked expression from Jessika in the speeder next to him. Jessika rolled her eyes and gestured to a small modular device they'd each been given with the group's cover stories. Poe studied his own, but he'd forgotten to study the others. He was sure that someone would brief him on them later.

Poe glanced over at Eve as she took a compact out of a comically large purse, studying her face. She'd put on purple lipstick to match her brightly coloured dress and hat. Eve paused, sliding sunglasses down her nose with a gloved hand as she turned to look at Poe. Her hair brushed against her cheek with the breeze of the smoggy air.

"What?" She asked.

"I like the lipstick," Poe said, mustering a small smile. Eve nodded primly, snapping her compact closed. Poe cleared his throat. "It's really bright."

"Thank you," she mumbled. She crossed her hands in her lap and turned her head away.

With that, the speeders departed, flying down village streets and old dirt roads until they reached the capital gates and merged with existing traffic. As Poe maneuvered his way through a sea of speeds and ships alike, splitting apart from the other speeders, he found himself missing his droid, as BB-8 had been assigned to Lin and Snap's team. Perhaps it would have calmed Poe's nerves to have his best friend to talk to as Eve sat silently in the seat next to him, calmly tying the ribbons on her hat under her chin. As she leaned back in her seat, she glanced at Poe, and he cleared his throat.

"I'm glad you decided to sit here with me," he said. "I appreciate the company."

"I thought it would be odd for me to sit in the back seat. It'd make you look like a chauffeur," Eve explained.

"Well, I guess I kind of am," Poe said, grimacing. Eve was quiet for a moment, her face unreadable with the sunglasses covering her eyes. She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat to look at Poe.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to talk, given the circumstances."

"Circumstances>:

"Well," Eve began in a matter-of-fact tone, "We're staying in the same suite. We'll have to get along if we want to survive the weeks together."

"Wait," Poe said. His eyes widened, glancing at Eve.

"Eyes on the air, commander."

"What do you mean, staying in the same suite?" Poe's grip tightened around the wheel as he looked ahead of him again.

"I was against it as well. In the case of an ambush, our team would potentially lose both of its commanders, but I am confident in our squadrons. If an ambush like that were to happen, I'm sure they'd be able to escape in a timely and concise manner," Eve said. Poe laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Eve, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?"

"Well, I never said that I was against it," he said. He shifted in his seat, taking a deep breath. "It could actually be fun. I was just surprised you'd agree to it." 

"There was no space to disagree. It made the most sense for our identities to be staying together. We are partners, after all."

"And who are you?" Poe asked. Eve turned in her seat to look at him, a single eyebrow arched in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" she questioned. Poe grimaced again.

"I never got around to reading the other profiles," Poe mumbled. Eve huffed, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. "I meant too! I just forgot."

"Please tell me that you at least read your own file."

"Of course I did! I'm not an idiot," Poe said. He cleared his throat. "I'm a business man."

"Right," Eve said. "And what else?"

"I manufacture communication systems," Poe groaned. "C'mon, I read my file. You gotta trust me more! Now, introduce yourself....your highness?"

Eve scoffed. "Not royalty. I'm an heiress to my father's company, Trijn productions. He makes vehicles. We've decided to work together."

"Are these real people?" Poe asked.

"My identity is," she said. "I've met Via Trijn before, actually. Her company's doing very well on her extremely remote planet. And you, Vincent Charleston, are completely fabricated. For years now, your character has been discussed across the galaxy thanks to some very smart planning. Your company is technically real, but it’s a cover for rebel work. So you are, in a way, famous for producing state of the art communication systems in speeders like these as well as in high tech weaponry."

"Oh, cool," Poe mumbled. "What if we get caught? What happens to Via?"

"They'll go to her planet and she'll show herself. Once the guards or whoever discovers us sees that she's not me, she'll be fine," Eve said with a shrug. "Poe, we're not going to meet many people that will question us. Just don't act suspicious."

"That's great advice, thank you," he groaned. Eve laughed and Poe paused, sparing another glance at her as her hair blew behind her in the wind. "So, why are we sharing a suite? Are we-"

"We're _business_ partners," Eve said quickly. "Aska and I thought it would make sense to double up so we can have back up in case of disaster."

"So we're _just_ business partners?" Poe asked. Eve narrowed her eyes and Poe glanced at her again. "Isn't that still suspicious?"

"If anyone asks, that's what you tell them. Keep things as vague as possible. People might get nosy, but we don't have to cater to their questions."

"Okay," Poe sighed. They both fell silent until Eve spoke up again with knitted brows.

"Why were you surprised I'd agreed to a shared suite?" she asked, her voice growing soft.

"I don't know. I didn't think you liked me that much," Poe said. Eve shook her head slightly.

"Oh," she murmured. "I don't dislike you, you know."

"I didn't know," Poe said. He smiled slightly and shrug. Eve's head fell slightly before she reached over and turned up the dial on the radio system. Soon, music flooded the air around them, and they remained silent until they reached the hotel.

As the speeder slowed to a stop beneath a blue canopy, Poe reached for the door handle, only for Eve to stop him by grabbing his arm.

"Here, honey, you've got something on your face," Eve murmured, reaching up to gently wipe at his cheek. She leaned in close, tilting her head. "Engine grease," she whispered.

Poe cleared his throat, nodding slightly. Poe turned his back and got out first, handing his keys to a waiting valet driver. He assumed that that was the cause of Eve's sudden change in behaviour. A young boy in a hotel uniform lifted their bags out of the trunk of the speeder while Eve remained seated until Poe opened her door, holding a hand out to her. Eve gave Poe a simple glance before sliding her gloved hand into his, climbing out of the car and practically leading him into the hotel as she slid her hand up to rest in the crook of his elbow.

"Hello, may I help you?" the man at the front desk asked as Eve approached. The young boy from earlier stood behind them, holding onto a floating stand which carried their bags. Eve was silent for a moment, then reached into her purse with her free hand. She pulled out an ID card and slid it across the counter, finally taking off her sunglasses. Poe held his breath. He hadn't noticed her makeup earlier. Her eyelids were covered with likely every colour imaginable in haphazard splats, which extended down her cheek bones and beneath her eyes. She must have applied it while on the transport ship.

"I'm Via Trijn. I have a reservation here for myself and my partner," Eve said slowly, her voice drifting through the air like a cloud on a windless day. She sighed as if inconvenienced as she reached back for her ID while the man behind the desk busied himself with the computer system in front of him.

"Ms. Trijn and Mr. Charleston, we were expecting your arrival. Your suite's located on the top floor. Orvan will direct you to your room," the man said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. He held out two metal cards towards Eve, and she took both before handing the other to Poe. Poe nodded a silent thanks as Eve put her sunglasses back on.

"Thank you," she murmured. Once Eve and Poe had turned their backs to the man, the young boy ushered them towards a glass elevator, stepping in after them. Poe cleared his throat as the door shut.

"You must be Orvan?" he asked. Eve pursed her lips and the boy looked at them both with widened eyes as he nodded quickly, his hat almost falling off of his head with the motion.

"Yes, sir," Orvan said hastily. 

"Do you like working here, Orvan?"

"Yes, sir."

"How old are you?"

"Mr. Charleston," Eve interrupted. "Don't pester the poor boy." Eve gently squeezed Poe's arm, and Poe looked back down at the boy, whose face had gone bright red. Eve leaned closer to him, whispering, "You're intimidating him."

"Oh, sorry," Poe breathed out.

"That's okay, sir."

The doors pinged open, and Orvan stepped out, leading the two adults down the hallway to their room. Eve swiped her card against the card reader next to the door while Poe lifted his bags off of Orvan's hovering stand. He walked past Eve into the room and she pulled a small bag from her purse, handing it to Orvan.

"What's this, ma'am?" Orvan asked.

"It's a tip."

"It's a lot for a tip," he said nervously. "Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"

"You did wonderful work," Eve said. She spared a brief smile before disappearing into the room, shutting the door behind her. 

Once she was finally inside, Poe dropped the bags along with his composure and turned around to look at the room. It was far greater than what he was expecting.

It was a large living space, completed with a full kitchen, a dining area, and an elevated living space complete with a fire pit and several oversized couches. Past the living area was a great glass wall and a double set of doors that led to a balcony looking over the city.

“Where’s the bed?” Poe asked, his eyes still wide in awe. Eve walked past him, taking off her hat and setting it down on the dining table to her right. She walked towards the cabinets behind the dining table and opened them, peering inside with narrowed eyes.

“They’re behind the two doors on the left and right. I don’t mind either side, so you can choose.”

“Side?” Poe asked.

“There are separate bedrooms and ensuites,” Eve said. She paused, glancing over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I should have been clearer. I guess that explains your shock earlier.” 

“Yeah, I was worried we’d have to fight for the bed,” Poe joked, scratching the back of his neck. “I’d definitely win.” 

“I’m sure,” Eve murmured. She crouched, looking beneath the table.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking for listening devices,” she said. Eve stood up. “An agent had the room swept earlier as protocol for Ms. Trijn. You can’t be too sure, though.”

Poe watched as she sighed, running a hand through her thick hair. She took her sunglasses off and threw them onto the dinner table. Her eyes were red from what he assumed was a lack of sleep, as her eyelids continued to droop downwards.

“You should nap,” Poe said. Eve stared at him, bewildered. “There’s nothing on the itinerary for the day. We’re just supposed to get settled in. It won’t kill the mission if you rest.”

Eve was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly, tucking her hair behind her ear as her chin drooped. She let out a loud sigh.

“Okay. Do you have a preference for which side you’d like?”

“I’ll take the left bedroom,” Poe said. Eve nodded, picked up her bag, hat and sunglasses, and disappeared through a door on the right. Poe turned around and did the same, picking up his bag and waltzing through the door on the left. He was, however, completely unprepared for the scene in front of him, prompting a gasp of shock. 

It was half the size of the living area of the hotel. A king sized bed sat on an elevated platform in the middle of the room. He couldn’t imagine what anyone would do with so much space in a bed room. He’d seen entire homes smaller than this one space. The far wall was draped with a bright red curtain, which hid more glass wall, he assumed. He walked in slowly, dropping his bag by the foot of his bed, before moving to another door at the back of the room. As he pushed it open, he let out another audible gasp at the sight of the bathroom, luxurious in every way. The bath itself had a size comparable to his room back on D’Qar. Poe approached the edge of the deep porcelain bath and ran his fingers across the top of a bottle of fizzy alcohol. He lifted it, then grabbed another bottle.

“Bubble bath,” he murmured, reading the label. He took a deep breath, looking between the items before a smile slowly spread across his face. “I do have time to spare…”

* * *

Poe had spent hours in his room enjoying the many amenities that the Grendovir Suites had to offer, from holographic recordings of pod races to be watched from bed to the many treats offered in a cooling box in his room. He finally emerged as night fell upon the brightly lit city, wearing a plain t-shirt, boxers and a fuzzy white robe that had been laid out on his bed. Eve was already sitting on a couch in the living room in a similar white robe, her knees curled beneath her while her light hair fell across her shoulders and ever so slightly in front of her face. She held a bowl of soup to her lips, reading a holographic display from a modular device sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Poe cleared his throat, and Eve looked up quickly.

"Oh," she breathed out. Her cheeks flushed, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. Poe'd almost forgotten how bright her eyes were without pain adorning her eyelids. The deep emerald green tones glistened in the dull light of the overhead chandelier. "I was wondering if you'd fallen asleep as well."

"No, I was trying out the jacuzzi. Then I watched some pod racing for a bit. You know, they have some awesome candy in the cooling boxes in our rooms," he said.

"Oh. Well, I ordered some supper if you'd like some," Eve said, waving towards a pot on the dinner table. "It's just a stew, but you're welcome to order something else if you'd like."

"Oh, stew should be great, thanks," Poe said. He walked over, grabbing a bowl from the cupboards before filling a bowl using a ladle already resting in the closed pot. Steam rose to the ceiling, moistening his face as he walked up to sit across from Eve on another sofa. "I'm surprised you didn't order something fancier."

"Why?" Eve asked, glancing over at Poe with a raised eyebrow. His cheeks flushed.

"Well, I just thought that it'd be more suitable, I guess, for someone in a fancy place like this."

"That's true. I should have gotten something more apt for Ms. Trijn, but when I looked at the menu, I couldn't resist," Eve explained. "The chefs in the castle used to make this stew when I was ill or hurt. I did many reckless things as a child, so this stew was a regular in my chambers."

"I didn't take you for a troublemaker," Poe said. A smile that had made its way across Eve's face grew bittersweet as it began to fade, the gleam in her eyes disappearing.

"Looks can be deceiving, I suppose," she murmured. She sighed, shifting in her seat. "Anyways, I've been told that this stew is a delicacy on Lah'mu."

"Well, that sounds like a good enough cover for me," Poe said with a wink. He blew at the steam rising from his bowl. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept well, if only briefly. I guess I'm still a little stressed," she murmured. "But I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the hotel so far."

"You must be used to this type of stuff?" Poe asked. Eve paused, visibly confused, and Poe quickly leaned forward in his seat. "Well, this type of luxury, I mean."

Eve cleared her throat. "I suppose so, from past missions. We're not always given such high profile covers tories, but I've stayed in hotels even grander than this, if you can believe it."

"But what about when you grew up?" Poe asked. Eve's gaze fell to the floor as she shrugged.

"It's hard to remember," she mumbled. "There was certainly a lot of grandeur, but nothing so modern." 

She set her empty bowl down on the coffee table and ran a hand through her hair. “Anyways, I spoke to our lieutenants while you were away. They’ve all arrived at their destinations safely and are awaiting further instruction. Tomorrow I think, in our prospective groups, we should split up and map out more of the city based on destinations that our covers would frequent. We can begin networking as well, given the opportunity for it.”

“That sounds fine,” Poe said. Eve pursed her lips. “What?”

“You seem very flippant,” she said. Poe smiled, shaking his head. “You need to take this seriously, Commander.”

"I am taking it seriously! It’s just that, you don’t need to micromanage. We’re here to act naturally and acclimate to the city. We’ll discuss plans with the others, but until then, we’re just going to walk around and act like this is normal. You make it sound so complicated sometimes.”

“I didn’t realize my instructions were so tedious,” Eve said, narrowing her eyes. Poe laughed.

“Eve, loosen up. We have weeks to do this. Let’s take our time and get this right,” he said. Eve was silent for a moment before cracking a smile herself.

“Our lieutenants are very lucky to have us. I can keep them on track, but you’ll keep them calm,” she said. Poe nodded.

“We work well together.”

"I wouldn't go that far," Eve laughed.

“Well, you did help me fix up my x-wing that one time. And if memory serves correctly, we got along pretty well when we were younger,” Poe said. Eve looked down, her smile drifting slightly.

“I suppose so. Though, it's certainly hard to remember."

A moment of silence passed between them, and Poe cleared his throat.

“Eve?” Poe said. Eve looked up, green eyes glistening.

“Yes?”

“Why did you never say anything?” he asked. 

“About what?” she responded. Poe leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with widened eyes.

“The force, Eve. What you did in the swamp was crazy,” he explained. Eve stared at Poe, her brows furrowed, then looked quickly away. She took a moment to think, biting her lip between pristine teeth.

“I didn’t think it was necessary to discuss,” she finally said. “I haven’t done anything of that sort in years.”

“It could be an asset to the team-”

“No,” she said. “It’s too dangerous. And if it’s alright with you, I’d rather not discuss this.”

“Okay,” Poe conceded. He fell silent, stirring his spoon in his stew as his chin dropped down. “You’ve done a lot of awesome stuff today, though. I just thought I’d acknowledge it.”

“I haven’t done much,” Eve mumbled. Poe looked at Eve, frowning. 

“You saved four members of our crew, which obviously hurt your strength. Then you kept up this great facade and you gave that kid a huge tip. I didn’t even think that was in the budget,” Poe said. Eve turned back towards him and mustered a shameful smile.

“It’s not,” she admitted. “It’s from my own savings.”

“That’s very nice of you.”

“It’s the bare minimum, Commander,” Eve said. “When we go undercover, we are putting everyone in this city at risk, especially those that serve us in hotels like this. I much prefer identities that don’t require servants and people waiting on us hand and foot. If we’re found out, there’s always the risk that those aiding us inadvertently will face punishment. My heart sank when I saw that young boy running to grab our luggage. Even in docile situations, war creates so many victims. It’s the same reason I was hesitant to ask the village farmer to hide our ships. He was a kind old man that just wanted to help. If they find out he’s harbouring rebel ships on planet that secretly aids in the corrupt acts of the first order….”

“I didn’t realize,” Poe breathed. “I don’t usually go undercover.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I don’t blame you for not knowing. I’d just like to explain my thinking, in the case you find yourself in a situation like this again.”

Eve stood up, picking up her bowl from the table. She smoothed her robe down against her legs and held the opening at the top closed as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

“Are you going to bed?” Poe asked. Eve looked at him, her warm smile returning once more, reminding Poe of the quiet village girl he’d known once before.

“No, I’m getting seconds,” she announced proudly. “Then, you can tell me all about the pod races you watched. If you would like?” 

Poe smiled, nodding. 

“I’d like that a lot,” he said. Eve’s smile reached her eyes, and she nodded back, beginning her descent down the stairs.

“Good. So would I.”


	9. Element of Surprise

The first morning of the mission was, in Eve’s opinion, the most defining part of the mission itself. There were several other key components, of course, though she’d be lying if she said omens weren’t important to her in cases like these. Nothing, in her opinion, was a better omen than a warm, sunlit sky above a city just slowly waking up with a cup of stim tea clutched in her nervous, shaking hands, steam still dampening her cheeks. The sun had only just begun to rise. Eve, plagued by nightmares and restless sleep that usually accompanied her stays in strange cities, had awoken when the sky was still dark. Pinks and oranges broke through the horizon while she sat on the kitchen counter, waiting for her tea to brew. While sitting in the kitchen, she considered briefly whether she should wake Poe, but the sound of his snores rumbling through the door deterred her. Even the nicest sunrises weren’t worth the trade for deep rest, especially in high stress situations like these. So, instead, she chose to sit on the balcony alone, her legs crossed beneath her like a child listening to a new story, as she thought about the day before. 

She still struggled to accept what she’d done. _The force_ was something she hadn’t accessed in many years. The last time she did was before her planet fell into anarchy. She was almost shocked she was still able to use it in the way that she did, even though it almost knocked her unconscious in the process. Her instructors had informed her how such usages would be taxing on her without proper training. The questioning she faced from her former handmaidens was difficult enough. Their concerns, understandably so, seemed never-ending, but Eve had little patience for further distractions when such an important mission was just beginning. In a way, she was glad to be secluded with Poe. It created less space for her friends to interrogate her. Poe was easier to deal with. He seemed scared of provoking her - it made it easier for her to brush off topics she preferred to avoid. 

Eve set her empty mug down on the balcony and looked down at her shaking hands as they fell into her lap. _What would Cade think?_ Eve sighed, clenching her fists. She looked up. The clouds hanging over the city had begun to part for the first time since they’d arrived, the pinks in the sky had started to fade. A speeder honked below her.

“Ah,” she sighed. Eve stood up, picking up her cup before sliding the screen door open. Her communication device on the table blinked with incoming messages from Aska and Serena, she assumed. They were her early risers. Eve walked towards the table, drawing her robe closer to her chest with one hand as she picked up the comms machine off the table. She pressed several buttons before holding it up to her ear.

“Hello, Aska. Don’t connect Serena just yet, I need to make a call to room service.”

* * *

_“Poe!”_

_It was Rose’s third day on the base. The previous night had been quite the whirlwind. From pastries to dancing in crowded city streets, Rose had secretly hoped the evening would never come to an end. Even the walk home was pleasant - the clear skies allowed Poe to point out constellations, half of which Rose was sure he’d made up just to make her laugh (if this was the case, his attempts were completely successful). Poe insisted on walking Rose all the way back to her room, despite her subtle refusals. Rose didn’t want the night to end. However, the thought of her friends’ prying eyes made her hands tremble. She’d already grown to prefer the small bubble Poe had inadvertently created for them in the past two days on the base. When they reached her room, she gave him a brief hug, then slipped in as quickly as she could. Serena was already asleep, but Aska was sitting up as Rose fell back onto the bed, her hair splayed out and arms spread at her sides. A moment of silence hung between them before Aska simply said, “he seems nice.” All Rose could do was hum in agreement._

_Upon waking up, Rose was reminded of Poe’s words - he’d be busy throughout the day and likely through supper, as his friends had been begging to take him to a group outing in the village, and he had flight exercises throughout all other periods of the day. Rose felt a weird twinge in her stomach, a feeling she didn’t quite recognize, but she was content spending the day exploring the base with her two closest friends. They admired the ships in the open landing space, and took a quick dip in the lake Poe had shown her on her first night. It was surprisingly warm. Then, after dinner, Rose raced to the main road to sit on a stack of discarded metal crates, her legs crossed beneath her._

_As Poe crossed over the hill, his hair windswept as his friends walked alongside him, Rose found herself doubting her decision to wait for him. Perhaps he’d be bewildered to see her. What if he was unimpressed by her clothing? Her wardrobe so far had very little variety, and while that had been due to a lack of choice, Rose’s wardrobe back home had rarely seen much variation either. She’d never questioned it until her trip to the village, in which she’d seen so many designs and colours she’d never even dreamed of. Her time in the republic as a youth was spent admiring the work of older senators - she’d never stopped to critique their clothing until now. Upon Rose’s eager request, Aska had trimmed a flowing yellow dress to Rose’s knees, using the excess as a ribbon to tie her hair back into a loose ponytail. Now, though, she worried that the rushed job would be too evident. Aska was a professional at fixing Rose’s problems with minimal time, but Rose never seemed to stop worrying. It only seemed to stagnate in Poe’s presence while also accelerating tenfold. His effect on her state of mind was really an enigma._

_Rose stood up, her dress brushing against smooth legs with the breeze. A basket rested on her folded arm. She found herself calling his name._

_“Poe!”_

_Poe’s head lifted, his gaze fixing on Rose. He said something to his friends, nodding quickly to both of them, then ran down the hill. Rose began to walk towards him, until her walk quickened and she broke into a run of her own, her smile spreading across her face. As they met in the middle, Poe wrapped his arms around Rose as she threw hers around his neck. She felt her feet lift off the ground, and Poe spun her in a circle, her legs flying out behind her. Her laugh rang out in the clear, empty air. The dark-haired pilot slowly let Rose down before stepping back, moving his hands to rest on Eve’s outstretched arms. Then, his fingers slid down her arms until they clasped her eager hands, his lips already spread in his signature grin._

_“Rose, you look beautiful,” Poe breathed. Rose’s cheeks flushed, and she looked down, letting out a bashful laugh._

_“Frankly, I’m so pleased to hear you say that,” Rose said, lifting her head once more. She stepped closer to Poe, gently squeezing his hands. “Aska helped me alter my dress. I was worried you’d notice. I suppose that was silly of me. Aska's an expert at everything at this point.”_

 _"Your friend's work is definitely impressive, but_ _I don’t think I’d notice if you wore a burlap sack to meet me,” Poe murmured. His gaze strayed from her eyes, drifting down her dress before rising back up again. “I’m just really happy to see you. And you look happy, which makes you look like you’re glowing.”_

_“Do you mean that?” Rose asked. Her heart quickened in her chest. Poe’s eyes locked on Rose’s, and he nodded earnestly._

_“I do. You’re brighter than any star in the sky.”_

_The two stood very still for a moment before Rose laughed, shaking her head._

_“If that were true, you’d be blind right now.”_

_“Is that so?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow. Rose nodded, dropping one hand to instead stand at his side._

_“It is. I should know - I’m an expert in stars, being one myself. That’s what you said, right?”_

_“I didn’t say you were a star,” Poe teased. “Just that any star pales in comparison to you.”_

_“Oh, who taught you to be so charming!” Rose groaned. She began to walk, and with no further instruction, Poe followed._

_“I’m self-taught, believe it or not,” he joked. “Now, where are you taking me? Are you going to interrogate me?”_

_“Why would I interrogate you?” she laughed. Poe shrugged and began to swing their joined hands._

_“It’s just something to do. We can test your skills, see where you’d fit best on our team. If you were to join, of course,” he explained. Rose looked up at him, raising an eyebrow with an amused grin._

_“And why is interrogation the first thing your mind jumps to?”_

_“Well, you’re pretty intimidating when you’re not trying to be friendly. The way you looked at me when we first met could make me spill all my secrets,” Poe joked, then shielded his eyes as Rose narrowed her gaze. “Exactly like that! Spare me, Rose.”_

_Rose bumped her hip against his. “Oh, knock it off. Interrogation isn’t that easy.”_

_“If you say so. In all seriousness, you seem like the commanding type.”_

_“I’m anything but,” she murmured, her smile faltering. She’d been raised to lead, but it was a pursuit she found draining, always wondering if she wasn’t quite good enough. “But I’ll try to remember that it’s that effortless to get information from you. Maybe you shouldn't be allowed to do field work if that's all that it takes," she teased._

_Poe laughed. “Well, if it’s not interrogation, what are you planning? Maybe I’m the one that should be interrogating you, hmm?”_

_“You hardly need to interrogate me. Besides, I don’t crack so easily,” she joked, baring her teeth. “I’ve got a surprise for you, though, so I can’t really tell you just yet. It’s not that big though, so don’t worry.”_

_“I’ll try not to. My life’s in your hands, soldier.”_

* * *

“Hey, what’s all this?” 

Eve looked up from her modular device, an eyebrow raised. Poe had just emerged from his room, his hair still messy with sleep, and wearing the same fluffy robe she’d seen him in the night before. Metal pans clattered as hotel staff piled their empty dishes back onto a hovering trolley, leaving a grand feast on the table. Eve smiled softly, setting her device back down on the table. 

“Good morning, Vincent. I was beginning to wonder when you’d join me,” Eve said. She nodded to the last remaining staff member, handing over his tip as Poe ambled towards the table, smiling slightly at the employee who ran past him with empty dishes.

“Morning. I slept in,” Poe said slowly. He watched the employees until the door slammed shut, leaving just Eve and Poe in the room. Eve sighed immediately, running a hand through her hair while Poe pulled a chair out before slumping down in it dejectedly. “This is an awful lot of food, Eve.”

“Do you not like it?” Eve asked, feeling her heart quicken. She cursed it silently - for what reason would it jump like this?

“No, that’s not it,” Poe said. His voice was quick - awake, suddenly. “I’m just shocked, I guess.”

“I wanted to surprise you with a nice first morning.” Eve’s gaze fell to the floor. “I know you aren’t entirely used to missions of this sort, and you seemed awfully fascinated last night when I spoke of the service I grew up with. I’m sorry, I suppose this was silly of me-”

“It’s not silly at all,” he said. Eve looked up at him, her lips parting. “It’s really nice, Eve, thank you. I’m super hungry anyway so it’s perfect timing.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so tonight we can look at the menu and you can help me order tomorrow,” Eve said as she gestured towards the several dishes which neatly lined the table top. It was all very reminiscent of a life she often forgot she’d had. She paused, her expression softening as Poe began to dish up his plate. “You’re welcome, though.”

“What should I try first?” Poe asked. He settled back down into his seat, picking up his fork. He’d gotten a healthy serving from each plate.

“Definitely that purple mash. I’m not actually sure what it’s called.”

“You’re not sure what it’s called?” Poe laughed. Eve let a chuckle escape her lips.

“Yes, I’m not sure what it’s called. I just picked random names off the menu. I recognized very few,” she said. “But it was delicious.”

“And what about that one?” Poe asked, gesturing to what remained on her plate. “You don’t seem to like that one a lot.”

“It’s fine. I just eat slowly,” Eve said. “Aska always gives me grief for it.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that,” Poe said. Eve’s smile dropped for a second before she nodded, clearing her throat.

“Well, if you like the food here, you’ll love the village market. The local street vendors are absolutely divine, I’m told. That’s how it almost always is, though, isn’t it?” she asked. Memories of a far off village flashed through her head. She could almost taste the pastries she’d shared with Poe now as she thought of it. It seemed so far away now. It didn’t help that she’d failed to think of it for so long. Poe’s voice drew Eve out of her thoughts.

“When are we going to the market?” he asked, mouth full of the dish Eve had recommended. He cracked a grin. “This is great by the way.”

“We’re going later today,” she said. Poe swallowed, his eyes widened.

“Oh?” he asked.

“Yes, sorry, I was waiting to tell you that I spoke with our lieutenants earlier this morning. You’re free to call them yourself, I just didn’t want to wake you. There’s really no rush to be up early, anyway.” Eve’s voice had quickened, obviously nervous. She felt awful for not checking in with Poe first. She had a habit of running missions. It wasn’t often that she had to share the role. Aska could confirm that Eve had a habit of being forgetful in times like these. “Oh, I’m sorry, I should have waited for you before making plans. Poe, I didn’t-”

“Eve, it’s okay. I don’t really care. It’s the first day, right?” Poe asked. Eve nodded slowly, and Poe smiled softly. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll make the plans for tomorrow. And we’ll be even.”

“Okay,” Eve murmured.

“Now, what are the plans exactly?”

“Well, I spoke to one member from each team. They’re incredibly self sufficient. They already had plans before we communicated. They’re just going to explore different parts of the city. I thought we should go to the market.”

“Is it a high end market?” Poe asked. “Just because of our covers…”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Eve said. “A market’s a good place to get our names out there, if they aren’t already. It also helps give me a good sense of the planet’s cultures. It’s not necessarily detrimental to the mission, but we have a lot of time to explore, and I just thought it’d be nice to have a relaxing first day. You don’t have to worry too much about appearances in such lively places - people are too busy really living to notice. It’s quite nice.”

“That does sound great,” he said.

“Yes, it does.” Eve stood up, then reached for a serving spoon. “And there are no deadlines, so take your time with breakfast.”

* * *

_“Not that big?” Poe asked incredulously. “This surprise is pretty big, Rose.”_

_Rose had led Poe all the way to the stables on the rebel base, which housed Saphira in an extra large pen. Poe had glued himself to the wall immediately upon entry, but Rose had run to the resting giant, falling to her knees. Her dress spread out around her on the floor. She looked like a flower of sorts, similar to those in the meadows beyond her old home._

_“It’s not a big surprise at all,” Rose laughed. She lifted the cloth from the top of her basket, revealing a pile of buns she’d smuggled from the dinner hall. Rose glanced over her shoulder, overing a soft smile as she beckoned Poe over. Saphira sniffed at the basket, blinking sleepily at Rose and Poe. “Come over! I promise, she won’t bite.”_

_“Or breathe fire?” Poe asked. Rose laughed again, throwing her head back._

_“She can’t do that yet! She’s still too young,” Rose said. She patted the spot on her right, and Poe slid his feet across the floor. He sat down, crossing his legs. Rose could feel his gaze on her as she held a bun out to Saphira, who happily took the treat with a snuff._

_“Maybe you’ll have to give me a lesson on, uh, dragon biology,” Poe joked. She glanced over at him, the uptick of the left side of her lips unmistakeable._

_“Sure. I’ll tell you after this.”_

_“After this?”_

_“Yeah, I wasn’t planning to spend the entire evening here,” Rose said. “That is, if you’d like to spend more time with me? I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you’re tired.” She reached out, stroking Saphira’s snout._

_“Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’ll miss out on a dragon lesson,” Poe said, bumping his shoulder against hers._

_“Well, I’m glad,” Rose mumbled. She cleared her throat, holding a bun out towards Poe as a blush wrapped around her neck and cheeks. “Do you want to feed her?” she asked. Poe immediately paled. “She already seems to like you. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, though. I don’t want to make you too uncomfortable. I realize it was probably unfair of me to bring you here without warning, as it was.”_

_“Hey, don’t worry about that. I’m glad, actually.” He took the bun from her hands and held it steadily towards Saphira. The blue dragon stared at him slowly, then leaned forward, accepting the treat. Poe smiled and pulled his hand back, gaze transfixed on Saphira as he not-so-subtly rubbed his palm against his pants. “You’ve shown me a lot in the past few days, Rose. I mean, I can’t even believe I’m feeding a dragon right now when I wasn't even sure they existed a week ago. It’s all because of you. And I’m really happy about it.”_

_Rose nodded, leaning against Poe. She sighed. “I’m happy, too.” She paused. “Give me your hand._

_“What?”_

_“Here,” Rose said, holding her hand out, her palm facing the ground. “Place your hand over mine. Come on,” she urged. Poe took a deep breath, then covered her hand with his own. Rose inched their hands towards Saphira. Poe’s hand twitched as Saphira yawned. “It’s okay, Poe,” Rose assured, her voice as soft as Naboo waterfalls._

_She reached out, resting her head on Saphira’s snout. Then, carefully, she pulled her hand away, letting Poe’s hand fall to her scales. Poe sucked in a nervous breath, then laughed, glancing at Rose._

_“It feels like she’s….radiating warmth,” he noted. He chuckled, slowly running his hands along the scales as Saphira hummed like an old engine._

_“Dragons do that, you know. I really must give you this lesson as soon as I possibly can.”_

_“I’d like that. Very much.”_

* * *

It had been a while since Eve had been in such a lively environment. After breakfast, she’d dressed in a bright yellow dress which flowed like dresses from her past. Her hair was left down, though covered by another enormous hat. Her makeup was more neutral, though a pair of outrageously large sunglasses still perched on her nose. In a way, she envied Poe. All he had to do was wear a button up shirt and dress pants. She glanced up at him, watching hair escape gel to flutter in the wind.

“What?” Poe asked, glancing down at Eve. Eve shook her head.

“Nothing,” she said. It was hard to speak candidly in a crowd like this. They needed to assume that they were being listened to at every moment. That was almost the goal.

“Are you enjoying it so far?” Poe asked.They’d already stopped at several dessert stands, proven with three bags already on his left arm. His right arm was linked with Eve’s. She nodded slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear as a gentle breeze ruffled her dress.

“Yes. It’s quite lively, isn’t it?” she said. Two children ran across their path. “There’s so much to see, though. I’m worried we won’t get to see all of it today.”

“Actually, Via, I was talking to the last vendor we stopped at and she told me about one place I think we should go.”

“What is it?” Eve asked. She was secretly very pleased that he’d remembered to use her cover name. He was quite loud with it, but it was an honest effort to make their presence known.

“It’s a surprise,” he said. Eve looked up at him, narrowing her eyes as she slid her shades down her nose. She was beginning to do it too much, though it was undeniably fun.

“A surprise?”

“Nothing too big, though,” Poe said, winking.

“Wow, thank you for that convincing reassurance,” she teased. As they reached a particularly empty turn in the market square, Poe dropped Eve’s hand, running behind her and placing his hands over her eyes. Eve laughed, shaking her head. 

“I don’t want the surprise to be spoiled when you’re too far away!”

Eve laughed, leaning back against Poe. “Just don’t lead me into some underground dungeon!”

“I can’t make any promises,” he said.

Eve stumbled forward, with Poe’s front pressed to her back. It felt awfully intimate, but she preferred this closeness over the possibility of stumbling over the uneven road without a human-sized safety net waiting behind her. Suddenly, Poe stopped moving, bringing Eve to a quick halt. She gasped.

“Alright, you ready?” Poe asked. Eve nodded. Then, he pulled his hands away.

Eve’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the sight in front of her. They were standing in what appeared to be an outdoor stable of sorts built into a corner of the market, hidden away from the various food vendors with wooden walls and a gated entrance. Eve looked down. Straw crunched beneath her feet. The corner stall had only three large, wooden doors. Just a few feet ahead of her, a dark brown orbak watched curiously from beyond a stable door, its head towering over Poe and Eve. Eve reached up, pulling her sunglasses off of her face as her lips parted in shock. Poe stood beside her.

“I heard that there was a man who sells orbaks here on top of fruits from his farm. They’re good for farming, apparently,” Poe explained. Eve stared up at the animal, eyes wide with wonder. “I don’t know if you’re a big fan of animals in general, but I remember how sweet you were with Saphira. I don’t know. I just thought you might like this.”

“They’re magnificent creatures,” Eve murmured. She glanced at Poe. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“It’s no problem,” Poe said, waving a dismissive hand. Eve bit her lip.

“Can I touch it?”

“Yeah, the guy said it’d be okay. They’re pretty friendly. He said they’re around his kids a lot, so…”

Eve stepped forward, holding a hand out to the large animal. It huffed, then slowly leaned forward, pressing its forehead against her hand. A laugh bubbled its way up to Eve’s lips, tears springing to her eyes.

“He’s just so beautiful, isn’t he?” she breathed out. She sniffed, then looked back at Poe as the orbak gently rubbed its tusk against Eve’s shirt. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, seemingly alarmed at the tears that slid down her cheeks. Eve nodded, wiping them away with the back of her hand.

“It’s just been so long since I’ve seen animals like this,” she murmured. The village markets on her home planet had many orbaks on top of other beasts - they were used for transport and agriculture, but they made wonderful companions. Her close friend, Robbie had one. His was called Amelie. Eve smiled as she remembered the way he’d appear on her doorstep, reins in hand so Eve could take Amelie for a ride. Eve’s smile began to fade, and she allowed her hand to drop.

“So I guess you are an animal person?”

“No,” she said. “I’m just a victim of nostalgia.”

“I see,” Poe said slowly. His lips curved ever so slightly. Eve couldn’t help but smile back as she joined his side once more, linking arms with him. 

“We should move on. This market’s the size of a small city, and I want to try and see all of it, if possible,” Eve said. 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Quite sure,” Eve said. She nodded again, as if to add extra proof of her certainty. She couldn’t understand why such small actions provoked smiles and laughter from Poe, but it was comforting, in a small way. She was worried he’d hate spending time with her, but if laughter was any indication, he tolerated her at the very least and enjoyed her at the most. As they began to leave the mini stable, complete with a temporary roof, Eve glanced over her shoulder. The orbak huffed, shaking its head.

“Can we come back later?” she asked, looking back at Poe. “If there’s time, of course.” He glanced down at her, dark eyebrows raised in shock, then smiled and nodded.

“Of course. I’ll make sure we have time.”

True to his word, the two had returned to the orbaks as the sun began to set beyond the glowing city. Through lidded eyes and tired smiles, Eve convinced Poe to pet one of the creatures, just as she had many years ago. Later that night, the two stayed up talking and eating delicacies from the market in the comforts that the hotel living room had to offer. When they retired to their rooms, with full stomachs and hair still wet from their individual showers, Eve collapsed on her cloud-like bed and dreamt of meadows where she'd be free to roam with orbaks once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit shorter than they've been recently, but I enjoy exploring their dynamic in a much more mundane environment, and not every chapter needs to be ages long. Action will be coming soon! So savour the sweet fluff while you can, haha. I also wanted to show my girl Eve some love this chapter with some extra character development. Who knew Eve would be a horse girl?


	10. A False Sense

Comfort. It was a word that Poe had found quite rare recently. He’d learned to spend nights in his x-wing, and learned to be excited for such nights on missions where the only other option was to sleep on rocky ground. Home was temporary. He’d been transferred from rebel base to rebel base, and learned to pack quickly. He tried to make his walls _his_ by plastering them with posters and pictures of friends and family, but things often got lost in the move, and his walls grew more bare with each passing year. However, Poe had suddenly developed a sense of comfort that had been long missing over a week spent on Grendovir. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the soft mattress that stopped aches from plaguing his bones every morning, or the meals that felt suspiciously close to home. Or perhaps, he thought as he walked out of his room to see Eve lounging on the couch on the tenth morning of their mission, it was the fact that he’d grown used to waking up to the same sight every morning. Instead of leaving his room to a bustling corridor filled with new people every day, he found Eve on the couch or at the table reading a paper with a warm drink as though she were home. Something about her puffy morning eyes and mussed hair gave Poe a sense of warmth. It’d be silly, though, to assume that was the source of his comfort. He was sure there was much more to it.

“Good morning,” Poe greeted. Eve glanced up from her paper and nodded, a small smile crossing her lips as she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Good morning. I didn’t order as much for breakfast today, just some waffles and assorted fruits,” Eve said. 

“Nothing that floats?” Poe asked. Eve had told him the previous night about floating fruits imported from Naboo, which she’d loved as a child. She’d beg for them every year on her birthday. Plus, they made food fights all the more easier. 

Eve laughed, shaking her head. “No, I’m sorry. They don’t have any on the menu. I did call the clerk, though, and he said he’d see if they’d be able to order any in.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Eve, I was just kidding,” Poe said, his voice soft as he loaded a plate with fresh food from the table. He grabbed a mug that Eve had set out for him. As he marched up the stairs to the living space landing, he noticed his stim caf was still steaming. He had a sneaking suspicion she’d been the one pouring his caf recently, as it was always warm when he woke up. It was black, just the way he liked it. He’d grown used to drinking it for the caffeine before missions, for a quick boost following sleepless nights. At first, the taste was unwelcoming to the tastebuds, but he’d grown fond of the feeling of warmth following a cup or two.

“I know,” she said, and pulled her legs closer to her body as Poe sat on the couch across from her. He sipped his stim caf, and Eve dragged a heavy pillow onto her empty lap. “I should have kept it a surprise, but I couldn’t help myself.”

“Thank you,” Poe said. Eve had warmed considerably since the beginning of the mission. The moments in which she smiled, really smiled rather than the phony expressions for clerks and wait staff, seemed endless. Eve shrugged, nervous hands fiddling with the robe tie around her waist.

“It was as much for you as it was for me. I’d love to try them again,” she said. Poe smiled, nodding slightly. She was a very convincing liar, but she was hardly self-serving. 

“Well, we’ll make a feast out of it. On one of your dinner days, though. I don’t want you impeding on my awesome orders.”

“We can’t have that, can we?” she teased.

“No, we definitely can’t.”

The two exchanged a smile, and Eve cleared her throat, shifting to sit up straighter on the couch.

“Well, if we can’t come across any, I know another instance in which we might happen across some. If rumours are correct, of course, which they often aren’t but one can hope,” she said. 

“What do you mean?” Poe leaned forward in his seat.

“Well, this morning while I was waiting for you to wake up, one of the hotel staff knocked at the door and delivered these.” Eve pulled a small, fabric bag out from behind her. She pulled open the strings and tipped it over, allowing two small metal plates to fall out. As she turned them over in her hands, they blinked steadily.

“What’s that?”

“They’re formal invitations to Khalie Jorgen’s next party a week and a half from now. Each beacon can be turned on and it’ll display the information such as location and dress code,” Eve murmured. She slid one across the shining coffee table towards Poe. He picked it up, turning it slowly in his hands. Eve cleared her throat. “Isn’t this a great relief? Now we can spend our remaining time relaxing and planning. I just hope the others can get some invitations soon as well.”

“How did she know we were here?” Poe asked, looking up at Eve. Despite her playful tone, her pallor was unmistakable, and her eyes were wide with uncertainty. 

“I don’t know.”

Poe stood and began to pace the length of the landing.

“We haven’t even done much yet. The most public thing we did was go to that fundraising dinner the other night. Every other day we spent walking around the market or visiting shops,” Poe rambled. The dinner, not to interrupt his train of thoughts, was certainly one to remember. He’d worn a slick, blue suit, and Eve wore a matching dress that twinkled like stars in the sky. He’d been distracted by her numerous times in the night, making for awkward conversations with people that hoped to be potential business partners. There was just something very captivating about her when she pretended to be Via. She was elegant, but secretive, and garnered the attention of many. Poe had been the one to ask to leave early. All the attention on them made him feel overwhelmed. They finished the night at the market, eating food from street vendors while feeling ridiculously overdressed. It was nice, though. Eve got sauce on the side of her mouth. She was embarrassed, but Poe thought her blush and shy laugh was charming.

“Poe,” Eve murmured. “The postage on the delivery says that she shipped these to us the day after we arrived.”

“What?”

“I underestimated her influence in this city. It appears she knows everything that goes on. I told you, too, that word travels fast for people like us. The moment we set foot in that hotel, people were already speaking about our presence on this planet. We have very large roles in the industry. I just assumed Ms. Jorgen would have waited until we started making news.”

“Wow,” Poe breathed out. He sat back down and nodded slowly. “I guess that’s it.”

“That’s it.” Eve leaned back in her seat and ran a hand through her hair. Poe glanced up at her and offered a weak smile.

“Just relaxation and planning from here on out, huh? How about I do the relaxing and you do the planning,” he teased. Eve tossed her pillow at him, laughing.

“You’re insufferable sometimes,” she groaned. Her rosy cheeks returned with a glimmering grin, and Poe found himself imitating her expression as he caught the pillow. Then, his smile began to fade. He turned the pillow over in his hands. Eve sat up, leaning forward on her knees with a frown. Poe’s gaze fell to the floor. “Poe?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he brushed off. Eve scoffed.

“It’s hardly nothing. You usually have too much to say.” Eve stood up, walking over to Poe. She kneeled down in front of him, tilting her head as she cupped his cheek, turning his face towards her. “Poe, you needn’t worry about the mission, if that’s what this is. Everything will work out in the end.”

“Eve,” Poe whispered. He leaned down. Eve’s breath quickened, her cheeks growing redder with each passing moment.

“Yes?”

“You picked a fight with the wrong pilot,” he breathed out. Eve barely had time to register his words before Poe grabbed Eve’s waist, lifting her up against him. He dropped her down onto the couch and began batting at her with the pillow, kneeling above her with his legs on either side of her. Eve laughed and wriggled on the couch, holding up her arms to escape his admittedly gentle fury. She reached behind her and grabbed another throw pillow, desperately trying to return his attacks. As a pillow made contact with his cheek, Poe cried out and fell back on the couch, clutching a hand over his chest. “No, you’ve wounded me!”

“I win!” Eve cried triumphantly. She crawled over top of him, grinning down at Poe. Her hair hung down, the ends tickling the sides of his face. Poe’s wide grin settled into a soft smile. He reached up, tucking her hair behind her ear. Their chests rose fervently from the playful attacks. Eve’s eyes looked so bright in the morning sun. Poe felt silly for noticing.

“I’m going to miss this,” he mumbled. He glanced at her parted lips. Eve followed his lead.

“Miss what?”

“Comfort.”

Eve smiled, then shook her head, sitting up. “That’s why you just lost. You were too comfortable,” she teased. She climbed off of Poe and descended down the stairs, a skip in her step as she made her way to her room. “What should we do to celebrate the new invitations? Perhaps a night out in the party district? We haven’t gone there yet as I wasn’t sure if it was befitting of our covers, but-”

“Could we spend the night inside?” Poe asked. Eve paused in the doorway to her room, spinning around to stare questioningly at Poe. He sat up, leaning back on his elbows. “We can

order a ton of food and watch those awful space opera recordings you showed me the other day.”

“Yes, that sounds lovely,” Eve conceded. She smiled slightly. “And could we take a quick trip to the market? We could pick up some desserts there.”

“Definitely,” Poe said.

“Alright, well…” she paused, then grinned. “First one to get dressed picks the desserts!”

She spun around and ran into her room. Poe laughed and jumped up, dashing down the steps and across the room to his door. By the time he’d reached his room and begun pulling a shirt over his head, he heard Eve’s triumphant laugh from across the temporary living space. He groaned loudly, but his grin was unmistakable. He knew Eve would still let him choose their treats. 

Perhaps Eve was right: comfort was the wrong word to use. How could one find comfort in a high risk situation like this? No, comfort was the wrong word. Poe wasn’t comfortable, but he was very happy, and he was sure he would miss that.

* * *

After a day of total relaxation, Eve was adamant that the dynamic duo needed to buy new outfits for the upcoming party. Poe didn’t see the need for it, as they’d brought enough clothes to last them a month of parties alone. However, Eve explained that it was more for their public image. Poe thought it was silly - they’d already been invited to the party, what good would extra publicity do? Eve seemed to know what she was doing, though, and Poe trusted her. He always did.

It was why, earlier than he would’ve preferred, Poe found himself sitting on an oddly shaped white couch in a clothing store in the high end shopping district of Grendovir. It was by appointment only, but their names were enough to get to the top of the waitlist. Dresses of every colour covered the walls and mannequins placed carefully throughout the store. Even the dressing room, with velvet, red curtains reeked of luxury. Eve had disappeared into one of the changing rooms over half an hour ago. He was told, by an attendant helping Eve with her fitting, that Eve had already tried on ten dresses. However, she seemed flustered and unwilling to show Poe dresses that she’d described as “subpar”. Poe was worried it would annoy the employees, but Eve was polite, and they seemed eager to continue supplying Poe with fizzy drinks and candies.

Finally, after a day of waiting it seemed, the attendant stepped out from behind the curtain, flushed and grinning. She raised her eyebrows at Poe.

“She’d like to show you this one,” the attendant said. Poe nodded, smiling slightly at the young girl. She pulled the curtains open, revealing the dress that Eve had apparently taken a liking to.

Poe felt the air leave his lungs as his jaw dropped. He wasn’t sure why - Eve always had an air of elegance, even with worn, green jumpsuits meant for battle. So far on their mission, she’d been impeccably dressed as well. Despite knowing Eve to generally be a fancy person, he still felt shocked as she walked out in a grand, black ballgown. The dark bodice hugged her torso tightly, flaring out dramatically at her hips. As Eve shifted, lifting the skirt slightly, she revealed layers of red and orange fabric making up the petticoat. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she watched her appearance in the mirror.

“Beautiful,” Poe spoke up. Eve nodded, glancing over at Poe in the mirror as he sat behind her before looking back down at the dress.

“The dress is quite beautiful.”

“E- Via,” Poe interrupted. “I didn’t mean the dress. I meant you. You look beautiful.” Eve’s cheeks flushed.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. Her gaze drifted back to her reflection, and her expression grew unreadable. Her lips lost the stress she’d been holding, her shoulders falling shortly after as her eyes gradually softened. For a brief moment, a light shimmered in the emerald and brown hues of her irises. Poe had never seen her look this way before. It was as if another person was standing in front of him, having had years of tension washed away in a single moment. Then, the moment ended with a slight movement in her eyebrows, her eyes glistening. She inhaled deeply, then shook her head suddenly, dropping her chin.

“What is it?” Poe asked.

“It’s not quite right, is it?” she asked. Her voice trembled. She cleared her throat, running her hands over the tight bodice. “It’s beautiful, of course, but my intuition is telling me that I should continue my search. Don’t you agree?”

“I think it’s perfect,” Poe said. Then, he sighed and waved his hand. “But you look great in anything. Your opinion matters the most.” He cleared his throat as Eve’s cheeks flushed. “If it’s not right, then you should keep looking.”

“Thank you,” Eve murmured. The attendant stepped forward.

“If you want, I could find our designer. I’m sure she’d love to collaborate with someone of your status,” she said. Eve glanced at her and nodded, a smile pulling at her lips.

“That’d be very helpful, thank you.”

“Just step back into the dressing room! I’ll have someone fetch her for you, alright?”

“Of course,” Eve said. She nodded at the attendant, then nodded at Poe, and disappeared once more behind the curtains. Poe sighed and leaned back in the orange cushions, running a hand through hair that Eve had gelled to perfection - she seemed too stressed to notice the sudden flaws in her careful work. Poe smiled at the thought. She’d been very adamant about showing their best appearances while shopping for their new clothes. Sometimes he liked seeing the way she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, prepared to give him a stern-talking-to. She wasn’t much like the Rose that he remembered in that regard. She was far too timid to really lay into him, excluding their regular teasing. However, he got the sense that Eve was never very serious. Her words were always very reminiscent of the past. She certainly didn’t seem to mind when he scolded her, though his points were always much less serious. 

“She’s very beautiful,” the attendant said, drawing Poe from his thoughts. He raised his brows, whipping his head around to look at her. The woman smiled, pushing her bright blue hair behind her ear. “Are you together?”

“We’re partners,” Poe said after a moment’s pause. His heart thumped in his ears. He hoped Eve hadn’t heard, though he hoped she’d be proud of him for his use of vague terms. It was important to keep people wondering, he’d been told.

“I’m sorry if that was nosy of me.”

“It’s okay.” Poe waved his hand. “It’s fine to be curious. What’s your name?”

“I’m Becca,” she said. She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m envious. It’s hard to find someone willing to sit through a dress appointment like this,” the attendant joked, laughing slightly. Poe could tell that she was nervous. He would be too, having met a few high class Grendovir individuals. People weren’t always so kind.

“This is nothing. If anything, I’m glad to relax. But, I’d do anything to make her smile,” Poe said, the volume of his voice slowly dropping. He smiled faintly. “As all friends would.”

“Her smile is lovely,” the attendant said. “Perhaps you’re the lucky one.”

“I definitely am very lucky,” Poe said. His face felt very warm as Becca nodded and walked away in search of the designer. If only he knew that Eve was on the other side of the curtain with equally red cheeks, wondering if the words he’d said were indeed coming from Poe instead of Vincent Charleston. She was far too shy to ask, and far too confused to hope for one over the other, but it would be a lie if she said the words hadn’t brought a smile to her face.

* * *

Suit shopping, alternatively, wasn’t nearly as boring for Poe. After Eve had finished her discussion with the kind, old dress designer, the two walked arm-in-arm to the tailor down the street. Eve insisted on a custom fitting. They’d originally wanted pre-made clothes, to avoid any time constraints due to their very limited schedule, but now that Eve was getting her own custom dress, she insisted upon Poe receiving the same treatment. He really didn’t mind either way - he would have happily settled for a pre-made suit to avoid the hassle. Eve was adamant, though, and Poe had no other plans for the day. Besides, he admittedly enjoyed Eve’s nervous hovering while the tailors took Poe’s measurements.

“Dear, let them do their jobs,” Poe murmured as Eve knelt down, watching with a frown as one of the employees pressed a shining ribbon against Poe’s calf. 

“I am letting them do their jobs,” Eve said. “I’m just very curious.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve never had a suit made for me,” Eve replied. “This is an entirely new process.”

“I didn’t realize you were so interested in making clothes,” Poe joked. The employees slowly withdrew, comparing their findings. An attendant approached, a nervous, prim smile hiding beneath his moustache.

“I was thinking of switching industries, but I suppose I wouldn’t be so graced with your presence anymore, hmm? Perhaps it’d be a blessing in disguise,” Eve teased. She stood up straight again, crossing her arms as she turned to the attendant. “Yes?”

“We can have a droid make your suit now, sir. Do you have any thoughts about colour or design? The droid’s also very open to designing your piece if you have no preference.”

“I’m not sure,” Poe said slowly, glancing towards Eve.

“I can help the droid with some ideas,” Eve volunteered. “As long as it’s not near Vincent? I’m having a dress designed, but I’d like to surprise him. It’d be ideal to have his suit match my dress in some way. Of course, that means he can’t know,” she explained. The attendant nodded.

“Of course, ma’am. I’ll call for the droid; she’ll likely want to see him first before consulting with you, if that’s alright,” he said.

“That’s more than alright, thank you very much,” Eve said. The man nodded and rushed away, the tailors following closely behind. Eve stepped up onto the platform Poe’d been standing on, and lifted her heels as she rested her chin against the side of Poe’s shoulder, their bodies staggered in the mirror. Poe smiled slightly, tilting his head to press against hers. 

“Thank you,” Poe whispered.

“For what?”

“Taking care of that. I didn’t even know when to start. I haven’t worn a suit in years, y’know. Not much opportunity.”

“You’re welcome,” Eve whispered back. “I was telling the truth, though. I just hope you’ll like your surprise.”

“Well, if not, we can use it for a campfire on the way home. It’s a win either way,” Poe joked. Eve laughed.

“Yeah? I’ll bring snacks to roast.”

“Great minds think alike,” Poe breathed. The whir of a droid entered the room, and Eve stepped back. It was time to be different people again. Luckily for the two of them, this didn’t last long. Eve’s meeting with the droid tailor was long, though not as long as Poe thought it would be. After they left, Eve and Poe visited their beloved outdoor market space, and returned to their room early with treats to be shared over stew and a brand new pod race recording they’d been so excited to watch together. Poe hated to admit it, but he was growing used to this life, and he found himself dreading the day it would all come to an end. Until then, though, he was very happy to play house with a girl he couldn’t quite understand. 

* * *

_It was Rose’s fourth day on the base. Poe spent his morning in flight training, as he often did, but spent most of the time thinking of when he’d see Rose again. He’d grown very fond of her. She was odd, and seemed unaware of much of the galaxy and its news, but he enjoyed explaining this things to her as much as he enjoyed listening to her stories about the knights and odd creatures on her planet. He found himself spending his entire moment wondering about Rose and what she’d be doing. He’d almost crashed his x-wing during a particularly distracting thought, in which he considered bringing her to the lake for another midnight stroll. When his break came at lunch, Poe was more than grateful to be safely on the ground, so he could worry himself in peace. However, he thrown off by the sight of Rose wandering around the space crowded with ships, as if in a daze. He’d seen that look before, when she spent moments searching her mind for the right words to say. Her eyes looked as if they’d been shrouded in a fog._

_“Rose!” Poe called out. He approached her, gently touching her shoulder as she turned to face him, her lips parted and eyes darting over his face. “Hey, are you okay?”_

_“I thought you had training today,” Rose said. Her eyes were bright again, but her smile faltered. “What are you doing out here?”_

_“I should be asking you the same thing. But I won’t, because I’m not nosy,” Poe said. The corners of his lips lifted. “I do have training, I’m just on a lunch break. Do you want to get lunch with me? It’s on me.”_

_“Are you sure? Don’t you have plans with friends?”_

_“They’re a little annoyed with me right now. It’s a long story.” Poe cleared his throat. “I didn’t have plans with them anyway, though. If you’re busy, that’s fine-”_

_“I’m not busy,” Rose said quickly. “I’d very much like to join you, if you’ll have me.”_

_“That’s why I asked, silly,” Poe said, gently brushing his knuckles against her cheek. Rose smiled. “We just have to be a little quick so my commander won’t get mad at me for being late again.”_

_The two began their walk towards the village with linked arms again, their hips brushing against each other as they leaned into the other’s warmth._

_“Again?” Rose questioned._

_“I slept in,” Poe said, almost too quickly. He grimaced. He’d been running late on his schedule recently, mostly hoping to entertain Rose. If he wasn’t late due to plans with her, he was late after getting lost in thought about her and also about the possible cafeteria meals for the day._

_“Well, we mustn’t stay out too late, then.”_

_The two exchanged a smile._

_“We’ll try our best.”_

_The walk to the village was brief. Rose seemed to take the lead, which was surprising, but Poe was more than happy to rush to the pastry stand. It was interesting, too, to see her so determined. There were moments where a look would flash across her face, as though she’d forgotten where she was, and Poe was reminded of the wounded soldier he found in the streets of Roirutea. Something was troubling her, though he only began to ask once they’d found seats in the village square in which they could unwrap their sandwiches and have their peaceful moment. As Rose sunk her teeth into her sandwich, eyes wandering the bustling square, Poe smiled and dropped his gaze._

_“What’s bothering you?” Poe asked._

_“What?” Rose asked, mouth full. She swallowed, eyes wide as she cleared her throat. “Sorry.”_

_“That’s okay,” he said. He reached up with a napkin, gaze rising to her gaunt expression as he wiped some crumbs away from the side of her mouth. Rose’s cheeks flushed._

_“Why are you asking me that?”_

_“You’re not very good at hiding things,” Poe said._

_“You’d be surprised. I’m told I used to be quite good at being sneaky,” Rose murmured, her gaze shifting back towards the villagers. “I had a silver tongue.”_

_“I am surprised. Maybe you’re a psychic, too,” Poe said. He smiled, looking down at his untouched sandwich sitting in tense hands. “I was right, though, wasn’t I? Something is bothering you.”_

_“Yes,” she said. “But I don’t know if I should say why.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“It’s confidential,” she said, furrowing her brows. “It’s not extremely important, but it is a secret. And it’s so unstable...it’d be unwise to speak about it. I don’t want to make you worry, too.”_

_“Oh.” Poe nodded. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”_

_Rose paused. She bit into her sandwich and chewed pensively for a few minutes before she nodded, clearing her throat._

_“I was in a meeting this morning with my friends and we spoke to the general through holographic transmission.”_

_“What was it about?”_

_“The future,” Rose said. She sighed. “We were just talking about how to proceed from here. Whether we should move or stay. It was more stressful than I thought it’d be.”_

_“Do you know if the general has a preference for your group?”_

_“I can’t tell you,” Rose said. She looked back at Poe finally. Tears had begun to gather in her eyes, drifting just barely over her lower lashes. Poe leaned forward, gently wrapping a hand around her upper arm. Rose sniffed and wiped at her tears with the tips of her fingers. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so overwhelmed.”_

_“That’s okay,” Poe said. He placed his sandwich down in his lap and used his remaining hand to brush her hair away from her face. She’d forgotten to tie a ribbon in her hair to match her flowing, blue dress. “You don’t have to apologize to me.”_

_“It’s silly for me to worry. Nothing’s concrete yet. We still have to wait for my remaining lieutenants to arrive,” she said, shrugging her shoulders weakly. “We'll figure it out. I just hate thinking about it.” She threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh._

_Poe straightened his posture._ _“Okay, let’s finish our lunch first. Then I’ll take you dancing again, okay? It’ll take your mind off of things. And if it doesn’t, we’ll find something else to do,” Poe proposed. Rose frowned again._

_“But I thought you said you had to be back on time. I don't want you to worry about me.”_

_“I'm not worrying, Rose," he said, lips parting in a signature grin. "I’ll get back on time, okay? Now, dig in. I’m already impatient. I have some new moves I want to show you.”_

_Rose remained still for a moment as Poe dropped his hands and went back to his sandwich, taking his first bite. It was delicious, though he wasn't surprised. As he watched Rose finally move out of the corner of his eye, a small, earnest smile tugging at the corner of her lips while she sunk her teeth into her sandwich once more, Poe felt his heart race._ _He hoped, more than anything, that he'd be able to fulfill his promise and take away her worries, if only for a moment in time._


	11. Future Burdens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I apologize for such a long time between updates - i've been very busy with my studies and I've struggled to find time to write regularly.
> 
> I also apologize for such a lengthy chapter. I'd tried shortening it, but I found it very hard to find any passage that could be removed easily. In the end, I thought I'd leave it all. Besides, extra content can't be totally awful, haha.
> 
> I'm very excited to write the next chapter! I've been planning that one for a very long time. And I appreciate the support and reads that I've received so far - it's very encouraging.
> 
> Until next time :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter~

_It was Rose’s fifth on the base, and a remarkable fifth it had been. She spent the day with Poe, as Aska and Serena were mysteriously missing from Rose’s room when she awoke. When she opened the door that morning, she found Poe leaning against the opposing wall, holding a single flower from the lake again. Rose graciously accepted, and they made their way to the town, where they spend the daylight hours dancing and touring the small shops. She’d kept it to herself, but she hadn’t had much time to live in towns like this as she had been since coming to the rebel base. She’d gone to towns and would spend most of her teenage years in the town surrounding the castle, but it was never like this. It never felt so easy to just breathe. She was a nobody here, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy being a nobody at Poe’s side._

_When dinner approached, Poe reluctantly left Rose’s side to join his friends as he’d promised to make time for them. However, before parting, he promised to find her later that night, so they could walk to the lake once more. Rose was fine with this arrangement - any more time spent with Poe would begin to cause questions amongst her friends, and she preferred to avoid their hundreds of questions if possible. She wasn’t sure how to explain her attachment to Poe as it was, she was just grateful for his company. After leaving Poe, Rose bought a small dinner from the meal hall and sat at the edge of the base to enjoy it, sitting amongst the wildflowers under the glow of a young sunset. It felt like older days in the meadow, when things still felt innocent. There was peace in the stillness of being alone. She quite enjoyed it. When she finished her meal, she decided to return to her room to rest and get ready for the chillier nights. Perhaps she could even fit a nap into her few hours of unplanned time, which would help make up for the so far restless nights on the base. Sleep was all too easy to find during the daylight, she’d found. It was easier to fall into exhaustion rather than paranoid thoughts about the dark corners of the room. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Rose’s plans for relaxation were upended when she pushed the door to her room open, her joyful steps quickly coming to a halt._

_“Rose!” Lin shouted. A familiar, blue-headed girl ran forward, throwing her arms around Rose. Rose’s eyes widened, her balance faltering for a moment._

_“L-Lin?” she gasped. A happy laugh bubbled through her lips as Mai and Freya stepped into view around the corner wall by the bed._

_“We wanted to surprise you!” Freya said. Her grin was wider than it’d been in a very long time, though that wasn’t hard to beat, given their past year together. It almost hid the faint bruise around her eye, and discoloured cut across the bridge of her nose. As Lin stepped back, her own injuries became apparent; though it was hard to outshine Mai’s leg still in a cast. Her crutches leaned against the far wall, next to a beaming Serena. Aska, who stood next to her, looked just as enthused in Aska’s quiet, calm way. Her smile, though close-lipped, reached her eyes. It had been a while since Rose had seen such a smile from her best friend._

_Rose found herself speechless for a moment, her lips parted and eyebrows raised in shock as her green eyes darted between the worn, yet happy women._

_“Are you happy to see us?” Mai joked, pushing herself along the wall to reach Lin and Freya, who had hugged Rose the moment Lin let go. “You’re quite quiet, which means you’re either shocked or furious.”_

_“Of course! I’m so happy,” Rose exclaimed through laughter. As Freya stepped back, Rose pushed her way forward to hug Mai. Mai, though blinking quickly, had tears forming in her striking, dark eyes. Rose felt her own tears sliding down her cheeks, though she was glad to know they were of nothing but joy._

_“You look great,” Freya remarked. She walked backwards, sitting down carefully on the bed. She’d spent the most time of the girls in the group on the other side of Roirutea during the war, helping Robbie in more remote spots of the planet every few weeks. Freya had grown increasingly suspicious of soft beds, as if she were worried they’d be taken away at any moment._

_“Why do you sound so shocked?” Rose laughed._

_“Well, we weren’t expecting you to look so well. You almost look younger.”_

_“Aska made it seem like you were dying when we talked to her,” Mai said in her monotonal voice._

_As Rose stepped back from Mai, she draped Mai’s arm around her shoulder, slowly shuffling the two of them towards the bed. As Mai took a seat next to Freya, Lin promptly falling on the bed behind them, Rose took her seat at the windowsill._

_“Yes, well, I don’t know if that’s strictly true,” Rose said, tucking her hair behind her ear with a shrug._

_“From what you explained, it certainly sounded like that was the case,” Aska said._

_“Well, I’m doing much better now. I haven’t felt this well in a very long time now.” Rose paused. “The technologies on this planet really are astounding.”_

_For a moment, an emotion flickered across Aska’s face that Rose couldn’t quite place. Aska was always hard to read, and Rose had known her longer than any of her other_

_“The general said she’d take me later tonight to see what they could do about my leg,” Mai said. “Hopefully they can de-age me, too.”_

_Rose laughed. “Did you all just arrive?”_

_“We’ve been here a few hours, actually, but the vice admiral that brought us around couldn’t seem to locate you,” Freya said._

_“I was in the neighbouring village. We should all visit it, tomorrow. It’s quite lovely,” Rose said, nodding enthusiastically. Lin bit her lip, holding back a smile._

_“You seem very entranced with this place.” Lin sighed, as though she were a princess from one of Rose’s stories._

_“Yes, why is that? It’s not much different from the capital, from what I’ve seen and heard,” Aska said. Her words were inquisitive, as though she genuinely couldn’t understand. Rose bit her lip, furrowing her brow._

_“I don’t know the capital as well as you all do. I spent time there with eyes always on me. I always had to play a role. And here...it’s much different. No one knows who I am. It’s like living the life of a woman I’ve never met,” Rose explained. “It’s really quite thrilling.”_

_“What do you mean, no one knows?” Freya asked, sitting up suddenly as her eyebrows leapt up her forehead._

_“Well, I haven’t told anyone my official title or anything so silly. It doesn’t mean anything out here anyway. I thought it’d be nice to have some anonymity for a while, before we’ve decided on a plan.” Rose paused. "Though, it's hard to tell how much anyone here would know about any of us.”_

_“I never thought you’d be the type to fly undercover,” Mai said. Rose smiled slightly, shrugging._

_“Neither did I.”_

_“Well, they’ll have to know at some point,” Serena said._

_“Maybe,” Rose said. She shrugged and looked away. “I should get ready. I have to go out soon.”_

_“Why?” Lin asked. “We just got here and you’re leaving already!”_

_“I won’t be long,” Rose said. She drifted towards the closet and sighed, looking at the few dresses she’d been given. “I just told my friend I’d see him tonight.”_

_“You made a friend?” Freya asked incredulously. Lin laughed._

_“Is it that hard to believe?” Rose asked. Her hands paused on a rose coloured dress, the corners of her lips lifting._ Too bold _, she thought to herself._

_“Yes! You’re awful at speaking to people!” Lin said._

_“I’ll have you know, I was a public speaker my entire life,” Rose gasped._

_“Yes, and you were so wonderful at that.” Lin paused, wincing. “But, I distinctly remember you left Cade to do the more personal speaking events because he told you that you were much too stiff.”_

_Rose fell silent for a moment, her smile faltering. It’d been a while since she’d heard his name; though, he rarely left her thoughts. Her grip tightened on the dress before she pushed it away dejectedly, eyes cast towards the ground._

_“Oh, Rose, I’m sorry,” Lin murmured._

_“It’s alright. You aren’t wrong,” Rose said. She mustered a smile and turned to face her friends. “I was dreadful at that work. I suppose it’s why my father sent me away for so long. Little good it did me, of course.”_

_“You were almost worse when you came back,” Aska teased. Rose met her best friend’s eyes and smiled, thankful for this moment that felt almost normal. “I’m interested to hear how you managed to make a friend without our assistance.”_

_“Yes, in such a short time, too. One could almost call it a miracle,” Serena added._

_“Oh, please.” Rose rolled her eyes. “I can be charming.”_

_“Well, who is it? What is he like?”_

_“His name’s Poe. He’s a pilot. He saved my life, actually, and he’s been showing me around the base. I think he’s probably just trying to recruit me.”_

_“He seemed very bewildered by Saphira the other day,” Aska said. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “And really, Rose, you don’t have to change clothes, if that’s what you’re trying to do. You look fine. It’s not like you have much to choose from.”_

_“It’s nice to make good impressions,” Rose muttered under her breath._

_“He met Saphira?” Lin asked. “She’s here now?”_

_“Yes, she’s in this stable area of the base with their other larger animals. We went to see her together the other day. He was quite frightened, but you know how gentle she is.”_

_“Oh, I missed her!” Lin sighed._

_“You miss everyone. I’m sure you miss that woman that helped us with our bags earlier,” Mai teased, nudging the blue-haired girl with her elbow. As Lin turned to argue, a faint knock at the door drew Rose’s attention away from her friends. She drifted towards the door and pulled it open, eyebrows raised. Jessika, Poe’s friend, stood with an easy smile, though frowned at the sound of loud laughter from within the room._

_“Oh, hello,” Rose said. She smiled politely. “You’re Jessika.”_

_“Yeah, that’s me,” Jessika said. She cleared her throat. “You were expecting Poe.”_

_“I was.”_

_“Well, he said he can’t come to your room.”_

_“Oh.” Rose’s smile fell._

_“He has a surprise for you in the courtyard. He can’t bring it through here, he said.”_

_“Oh!” Rose grinned. “Wonderful. I’ll be right out. Thank you for delivering his message, Jessika.”_

_“Yeah, sure.” Jessika nodded once and turned around. Rose ran back to the common area of her room, almost floating with excitement._

_“Well, I’m off. I’ve got to go meet him outside. I’ll be back soon, I promise. And you can tell me all about your journey. I’m sorry to leave right now,” Rose said. She paused, running to give the girls one last squeeze. She grabbed Poe’s jacket off the chair in the corner of her room, wrapping it around her shoulders._

_“Do be careful,” Freya called after Rose as she ran back towards the door. In an instant, Rose had left, racing down the long corridor as she struggled to contain an elated grin. As she neared the outside, she slowed her pace, breathing deeply to recollect herself. She felt quite foolish to be so excited, yet in the moment, she couldn’t help herself. Rose stepped calmly into the open air, looking around for Poe. It was easy to spot him, crouching next to a very unbothered Saphira, who’d taken it upon herself to curl up in between two parked x-wings._

_Rose quickly walked towards them, though Poe hadn’t noticed her presence yet. As Rose reached the two, she paused, biting her lip. Saphira yawned and lifted her head lazily. Poe laughed and tilted his head, watching the dragon’s movements._

_“You’re bored with me, huh?” Poe asked. Rose suppressed a laugh and tapped him on the shoulder. Quite shocked, Poe spun around, eyes widened. His expression softened when he saw Rose smiling down at him, and he rose to his feet, brushing off his shirt. He’d changed since she last saw him. He made a wonderful impression, indeed._

_“She does get bored quite easily,” Rose said. She laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Did you really bring her out here for me? I thought you’d still be too frightened.”_

_“Nah, it was easy.”_

_“Oh?”_

_“Yeah, we’ll go with that,” Poe said, laughing in spite of himself. “I thought maybe she’d enjoy coming on our walk tonight. I feel bad stealing you away from her so much, anyway,” Poe joked, scratching the back of his neck. Rose felt her smile stretch across her face once more. Quickly, she found herself wrapping her arms around his middle, her face pressed to his shirt._

_“You’re really too kind to me,” she mumbled. Poe’s arms wrapped around her and squeezed, ever so lightly. “Thank you.”_

_“You’re welcome,” Poe whispered back._

_The two stood there in their hug, long enough for the girls, watching behind a ship, to exchange wary glances over the pilot they knew so little about._

* * *

_“Does everyone get a dragon?”_

_Rose and Poe, while receiving many odd looks and frightened stares from the pilots on the base, had managed to take Saphira down their familiar path, navigating her away from the crowded ships with very little resistance from the large creature. The only problem was her overly excited tail, which might have created some small dents and scratches in the hulls of ships parked two close to one another. Rose felt awful, but Poe had assured her that it’d be fine, that they’d seen much worse in battle. Once they’d reached the dense forest, Saphira let go, bounding between trees and huffing at the waterline. Poe and Rose’s hands had interlocked at some point on the journey, and Poe had taken it upon himself to swing their arms, a smile plastered on his face._

_Rose tried not to laugh. “What?”_

_“Well, did everyone on your planet have pet dragons?”_

_“At one point, many people had them, yes,” Rose said. “That was long before I was born. Very, very long. I only know because of depictions in paintings on old temple walls.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Yes, well, our dragons were supposed to be companions to the ancient force users on our planet. We didn’t have a word for them, but I believe ours were similar to the jedi order I’ve heard about sparingly. When our planet first began, people were born with force abilities quite regularly, the strongest becoming the leaders of the planet. And these people with their extraordinary abilities were able to communicate more easily with the dragons. Non-force users had them as well, but it wasn’t quite as common. Often, force users had to coax eggs into hatching, and these dragons would cling to the person that did so.”_

_“Wow,” Poe breathed. “I can’t even imagine.”_

_“Yes, well, some people used to say that dragons would hatch in the presence of their destined companion. My father said it was nothing but a myth, especially with such differing life spans, but I always thought it was quite a magical thought.” Rose’s gaze drifted towards Saphira. “I’d always hoped I’d see a world full of dragons again.”_

_“What happened to them?”_

_“Well, as the force dwindled in our population, the dragons began to just slowly stop appearing. We couldn’t find their eggs, and when we did, they just wouldn’t hatch. They didn’t quite go extinct, but they weren’t common household pets anymore. And then the war happened, the one with Luke Skywalker. I don’t know much about that entire era, but I do know that the empire had many of our dragons killed. The king had given so much help to the rebel forces, and when the empire found out, they took one of our greatest treasures. They saw it as an advantage, but it was a massacre. The population had all but died out. Only a few dragons were spared in that war, miraculously managing to hide from the empire.”_

_“That’s awful,” Poe said. Rose nodded and leaned against Poe._

_“Yes,” she agreed quietly._

_“So how did you get Saphira? I know you said she’s young.”_

_“My father found the egg one day while he was out for work. He often had to travel the planet, and one day, he found this glinting, scale-covered object in the forest. He picked it up, thinking it was perhaps an empty egg; an egg that never hatches. He thought it might be a nice present for me, since I’d been taken with collecting rocks outside.” Rose laughed. “When he brought it back, I was so pleased. I put it on my nightstand and I kissed it before I went to sleep. That night, I heard a peculiar rumbling and woke up, only to see the egg shaking next to me. I placed it on my bed and called for my parents - I was so worried it was going to break. And it did. But, Saphira sat in the middle of the shattered mess, lazily blinking at me while stretching her little legs. You should have seen the look on my father’s face when he ran in.”_

_Poe laughed. “You’re a great storyteller. I felt like I was really there.”_

_“I wish you were.” Rose looked down, smiling to herself. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”_

_Poe watched as Saphira spun herself around a tree, her wings flapping nervously. Cool air pushed back against Poe and Rose, and he looked down just in time to see Rose’s brightening smile._

_“Did you know anyone else with a dragon?”_

_“Yes, I had a family member with one. It was quite old, but it was found near our family home with some injuries, probably from a fall. This family member of mine, when he was just five years old, would sneak into the big barn every day. This dragon was very wary of this little boy - my father said it was probably scared of us. But he was very patient with the dragon and it warmed to him after nights of treats and bedtime stories.”_

_“I didn't know dragons liked bedtime stories." The two laughed. "What did it look like? I mean, do they all look like Saphira?”_

_“Oh, well, there are different species, I suppose. And this one was very different from Saphira. She looked like a plush next to him. He was very old so he was quite large, and he wasn’t allowed inside like she was when she was smaller. And he had these giant teeth...they were probably the size of you!” she exclaimed. “He was quite magnificent. Saphira should grow to be that size in my lifetime, if I’m lucky.”_

_“I’m sure you’ll get to see that,” Poe said. “And I hope I get to see it, too.”_

_“I’ll make sure you will,” Rose said quickly. Her cheeks burned. “I mean, if we’re still in correspondence.”_

_“I’ll be totally offended if you don’t send me holograms in the future, even if we aren't still talking. You better make sure to find me,” Poe teased, winking as the timid girl met his gaze. Rose scoffed._

_“Well, the last thing I want to do is offend you.”_

_Saphira yawned, though the noise resembled more of a roar. Rose dropped Poe’s hand and jogged forward, slinging an arm over Saphira’s back as she ushered her towards the larger clearing. They’d reached it already. Poe , with Rose’s back turned, pressed the cool, back of his hand against his cheeks quickly, finding them warm in the dull glow of the nearly set sun. The sky through the trees had taken a bright red hue. Rose was grateful for it; it’d hidden most of her blush. Once Saphira picked up her pace, excitedly running into the open space, Rose turned back towards Poe._

_“Let’s sit by the water again,” she said._

_A loud splash sounded behind her, and the two began to laugh._

_“Can dragons swim?” Poe asked as the two settled down by where Saphira had chosen to soak._

_“Yes, they’re really quite good at it.” Rose leaned back and sighed, her gaze transfixed on a memory from long ago. She felt her stress begin to ease for a moment, though it was hard, knowing she’d have to face questions about her future the moment Poe left her side. She wished, briefly, that they could be in a world in which they could spend the night out in the forest. A foolish notion, but a wish nonetheless.. “Mine does, at least.”_

_“Can you?’_

_“Yes, I can.”_

_“Sure.”_

_Rose laughed. “What? I’ll show you once it warms up, mark my words. Can you even swim?”_

_“I guess we’ll show each other,” said Poe._

_Their pinky fingers interlocked on the damp grass. Rose felt her shoulders lose some tension. Their shoulders brushed. The moon was finally visible in a fading lilac sky. And, most importantly, Saphira was having a ball of a time._

* * *

“Oh, Vincent’s much more charming than I thought he’d be.”

Eve and Poe had found themselves spending one of their final nights at a gala dinner, similar in style to the ball that they’d soon be attending. Poe was hesitant to agree when Eve presented the idea to him; he thought it was silly to continue networking when they’d already secured an invitation. While Eve agreed with this thought, she had booked the dinner to get Poe accustomed to social settings like that of the ball. She was worried he’d be too stiff, as she often was in her youth. It was an uncomfortable environment, but they were to appear as though they’d been to countless others, as those of their status would have been. So, after a tiresome lecture about the importance of convincing acts, Poe agreed. Besides, they needed to use their wardrobe some time. So many of Poe’s suits were going to waste.

Much to Eve’s surprise, Poe was a natural. She supposed it was silly to be surprised - Poe was always charismatic, as far as she could remember. He never seemed to have a difficult time in making himself likeable. Eve, on the other hand, had struggled to keep her discomfort hidden that night. She insisted on separating so as to socialize with as many people as they could, but Poe had wandered to her side _accidentally_ several times throughout the night, resting a comforting hand on the small of her back as if to remind her to relax. The night continued on without much trouble, and soon, Poe had left Eve’s side to tell the valet to bring their car to the front. The women Eve had found herself in the company of were kind enough, though it was hard to warm to anyone knowing the industry they’d found themselves in. They had taken a liking to Poe, or Poe posing as Vincent.

“Don’t you agree, Via?” a woman asked, breaking Eve out of her trance, as she’d been staring carefully at the cracked window at the back of the large room. Curtains hung from floor to ceiling, and tables covered with delicacies lined the walls. Yet, there was a cracked window amongst all the glamour. It was quite odd.

“Yes, I suppose,” Eve murmured. 

“What’s he like in private? I heard you two were staying in the same suite,” another woman chimed in. It was Ellaria Vane, the daughter of a corrupt member of the New Republic. Eve wasn’t shocked to see her here.

“Word travels fast on Grendovir,” Eve said with a lilting smile.

“It was hardly fast. It took a week before word was out. Though, you two have kept a quiet profile since arriving. One could be forgiven for thinking this trip was for leisure,” Ellaria said. 

“The trip was partially for leisure. It’s hard to find these amenities in the outer rim,” Eve said, lifting a gloved hand to gesture to the grandeur of the room. “But if you must know, he’s a very respectful man in private.”

“Too respectful?” the first woman asked again. She’d introduced herself earlier - Eve could barely remember, as she’d met so many new faces just that night, but she thought her name was Sara.

“Is there such a thing as too respectful?” Ellaria asked.

“Perhaps so, in Vincent’s case,” Eve said. She felt her stomach twist. She didn’t like speaking about Poe in such a way, but rumours were good in making them seem more personable. There were always rumours amongst the elite. It helped to blend in. “But I’d hardly say he’s _too_ respectful. You’d be surprised.”

“Oh, Via, you tease,” Sara laughed. “Don’t spare any details!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Eve said, grinning. It was almost painful. She glanced over her shoulder. Poe had found himself ensnared in another group. He looked up, his eyes silently smiling at Eve as a couple in his group engaged in a fiery debate. “All I can firmly say about my business partner is that he’s a wonderful man and I’m extremely lucky to have found myself in these circumstances as his partner.”

“Well, I’m quite jealous,” Ellaria said. “Remind me to look into joining the business side of things.”

Eve looked back at the women. “I should go join him. Our car will be here soon, I think.”

“Well, have fun tonight. We’ll see you at the ball?” Sara asked. Eve nodded.

“Of course. I’ll see you both then.” She smiled, shook their hands, and fled as gracefully as she could to Poe’s side. She rested a hand on his forearm, drawing his attention away from the group. Unfortunately, the lively debate paused, so that the various government members and businessmen could also look at Eve and her rapidly reddening cheeks.

“Hello,” Eve breathed. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I believe I see our speeder outside. Vincent and I are on a very tight schedule tonight.”

“Of course,” said one woman. “It’s still so weird that you insist on driving your own, isn’t it?”

“Don’t keep her waiting,” one of the men said, nudging Poe with his elbow. Poe’s cheeks flushed, and the previous woman huffed.

“Oh, don’t tease him, Frederick,” she muttered. Poe smiled sheepishly.

“I’ll see you all at the ball. It was nice meeting you guys,” Poe flashed a grin and turned, slipping his hand into Eve’s. He seemed even more eager to leave, and Eve certainly did not blame him. In seconds, they’d gone outside, the wind of Grendovir surrounding them. 

“I lied,” Eve said suddenly, shuffling closer to Poe to escape the cold. “The speeder isn’t here yet.”

“I can see that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Poe looked down at her with a smile and released her hand, soon wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I was just about to make the same excuse.”

“It’s quite tiring, isn’t it?” Eve laughed.

“It’s your fault! You insisted we come to this thing!” Poe teased. Eve rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be so loud. They’ll hear and we’ll never get invited to anything ever again.”

“I wouldn’t complain,” Poe said with a smile. Eve felt her heart pang. It was fun to pretend that this life was normal, but it was always a rude awakening to remember that this was all going to come to an end. She fell silent.

Poe, taking Eve’s cue, remained quiet as well. No words were exchanged during the car ride back to their hotel, and this void continued up until they reached their hotel room. Poe raced to the couch, tripping purposefully on the steps to prompt laughter from Eve, and sunk into the cushions. Eve chose to move to the kitchen, beginning a new pot of stim caf.

“What’s that for?” Poe asked, digging into his pocket. He pulled out the modular device and flung it onto the coffee table, a countdown floating above it. “We should sleep soon, and that’ll keep you up all night.”

“It helps me relax,” Eve lied.

“Yeah, right.”

“Well, I need to study, don’t I? The big event’s just a few days away, now.”

“You don’t need to study, Eve. You know your stuff. If anyone should study, it’s me.”

“I know. That’s why I’m making you a cup, too.” 

“Oh, come on!” Poe laughed. “I wanted to relax tonight.”

“We’re working, Dameron. There will be plenty of time for rest once this is all done.” She lifted the pot from its hot surface and poured the steaming, dark liquid into two metal cups. She poured packets of powders and lighter liquids into her cup, but left Poe’s untouched. They’d had a conversation the previous day about his preferred methods of making stimcaf, none of which were available without ordering for room service, which they’d both grown wary of. Poe would rather the plain, pot-made stim caf over more strangers in their room. It was tiring, pretending to be someone else so often.

“Tomorrow, we’ll do something fun, then.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure of it.” Eve carried the cups over, and handed one over to Poe. He thanked her quietly, and took a sip from the steaming cup, his eyes still glued to the holographic display. Eve lifted her cup to her lips and sat down beside him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked gingerly.

“What do you mean?”

“You keep staring at the timer. You seem troubled.”

Poe’s gaze lifted, and he took another sip from the drink. He let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“Well, it’s all going to be over soon.”

“It is.”

“I’m just scared, I guess. I don’t know what we’ll do if things go wrong.”

“I’ll help you,” Eve said. “And you’ll know what to do, if it comes to that. It seems frightening but your instinct will take over.”

“I know,” Poe said. “I’m even more scared about what will happen if it goes right.”

Eve paused, frowning. She wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m sorry. I know that sounds dumb,” Poe said, nervously lifting the cup to his lips again.

“It’s not dumb. I’m just not sure I understand.”

“Well, I don’t know what we’ll do if everything goes right. We’ll just go back to the base and do more work, I guess. It’s always more. I just wish I knew what that more was. I hate not knowing what’s next. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, it does,” Eve conceded.“Yeah,” Poe breathed. “I hope things go right, obviously. It’s just weird.”

“Uncertainties of the future are the truest burdens of the heart.” Eve smiled slightly. “At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Sounds poetic,” Poe said. Eve laughed, dropping her chin.

“I suppose,” she murmured. She sighed, setting her cup down. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think I’m in the mood for stimcaf. I think I’d rather dance.”

“Funny, because I’m pretty happy with my stimcaf,” Poe teased. Eve rolled her eyes and stood up, holding a hand out to him.

“Let it go cold. We should practice for the ball, don’t you think? You might dance with others, and I doubt any of them will be as forgiving as I am.”

Poe was silent for a moment, staring at Eve’s hand with the ghost of a frown dancing across his brow. It was hard to tell what he was thinking when he was quiet like that. After a moment, he set his cup down on the table and stood, sliding his hand into hers. The two descended down the steps, and Poe followed Eve’s lead in hand placement. Formal waltzes weren’t his thing. However, as time passed, and the steam from the stimcaf began to slow, their waltz stance had faded into an embrace, swaying instead to the quiet music Eve had chosen. Poe was surprisingly graceful, and warm, which Eve enjoyed.

For a moment, Eve’s gaze drifted to the countdown hologram, still floating above the table. It felt as though the world were ending. And for that brief second, Eve found herself happy that she was spending the end in that place, in Poe’s arms. It was an odd thought. 

* * *

_While Poe had assured Rose that he wanted to walk her back to her room, he parted from her side to return Saphira to the stables safely. She wished him a goodnight, and he embraced her once more. Rose felt as though she were floating on her walk back, her feet drifting carelessly over cement floors, but fell heavily back to the earth when she spotted a familiar blonde head of hair. Aska sat against the door to Rose’s room, her head in her hands._

_“Aska?” Rose asked. Aska looked up, sitting against the door to Rose’s room, and quickly stood up. “What are you doing out here?”_

_“Can we take a walk, Rose?”_

_The two no sooner found themselves sitting in the empty courtyard on top of neatly stacked cargo boxes. The moon shone brightly in the dark night, illuminating Aska’s sharp cheekbones and stern brow. Rose had always envied Aska’s naturally intimidating demeanour. Rose was quick to lash out. Aska was always her calculating counterpart. This was clear, especially that night. She’d been silent the entire walk outside, as though contemplating something. Rose fidgeted nervously with the hem of her dress._

_“Are you alright?” Rose asked. “I am sorry I left you all earlier. We were out longer than I thought we’d be and I know it’s improper to be out-”_

_“Oh, do shut up, Rose.” Aska lifted her eyes to look at her best friend and smiled, shaking her head. “You of all people should know I don’t care about that sort of rubbish. I just feel as though we haven’t talked properly since I arrived. I know you’ve been busy and I hate to drag you away from your new friends.”_

_“I’m sorry for ignoring you. I didn’t realize I’d been so rude.”_

_“Rose, please stop apologizing. You weren’t rude, at least not intentionally. I’m sorry to bring you out here right now. I’m sure you’d rather be sleeping.”_

_“I wouldn’t be able to,” Rose said. She sighed. “It’s hard to sleep here, don’t you think?”_

_“Right? I said the same thing earlier but Lin said I was just being picky.”_

_“It just doesn't feel right, being so far away from home." Rose sighed. "Well, I’m sure they’ll understand in time.”_

_“Yes, I do hope so.” Aska paused, biting her lip. “You want to stay here, don’t you?”_

_Rose felt a lump form in her throat. She hadn’t faced the question directly. Even in their meeting with the general over holograms, Rose had found herself gently advocating for both options for the group._

_“Yes,” said Rose finally. “I would like that very much.”_

_Aska hummed. “Well, if that’s what you truly want-”_

_“It is. Truly.” Rose sat up on her knees, looking closely now at her best friend. Aska glanced over, leaning back on her hands, and mustered a weak smile._

_“Well, if that’s what you wish, I support you.”_

_Rose breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t think you would.”_

_“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my best friend, Rose. My only job was to make sure you were happy. If this makes you happy, then what’s the harm in it?”_

_“I thought you’d dislike this place.”_

_“It’s quite different. But different might be nice. I don’t quite know yet." Aska smiled, running a hand through golden locks. Unlike Rose, she'd never left their planet before this. None of the ladies in waiting had. Aska had always been more of an adventurer compared to the other girls. She was always urging Rose to look further in the woods, to swim deeper in the lakes with her. It was only natural for Aska to be open to the possibility of a new home and occupation. "If you like it, though, I’m sure I’ll love it, too.”_

_“Thank you, Aska.”_

_“I’ll try to convince the others, but I don’t know if they’ll agree.”_

_“Well, why not? Can't you be a little optimistic?” Rose sat back on her heels, a frown crossing over her features._

_“You know how they are, Rose. Their loyalty lies with Roirutea.”_

_“So does yours.”_

_“No, it does not.” Aska took a deep breath. “I wasn’t raised the same way that they were. I wasn’t raised to be anything like our friends were. I came to be your lady in waiting because of pure coincidences. If my mother had died any other day, I wouldn’t have lived in the palace. I am loyal to you, my greatest friend. The other girls are loyal to you because they were raised to serve Roirutea. To them, you are Roirutea. And you can’t be that symbol across the galaxy fighting a war that we were dragged into. Your duty doesn’t involve any of this and they see it as a distraction from what truly matters.”_

_“Oh.” Rose nodded, her gaze transfixed on the ground. “I suppose you’re right.”_

_“I will try to convince them. Some of them may see your side.”_

_“But Serena and Freya...they won’t,” Rose said suddenly, lifting her face. Her eyes had filled with tears._

_“No, they won’t. But they will support you at the end of the day. I can’t imagine they’d leave your side. They’d just be very unhappy.”_

_Rose nodded. Her gaze drifted to the moon. “Maybe the others are right. I don’t know what to do. I’m worried that I’m being foolish.”_

_“Don’t feel too bad, Rose. Coming to a decision in the face of an uncertain future with almost no grasp of what could possibly come next….that’s the greatest burden one can shoulder, I think.”_

_“I’ll remember that.” Rose looked at Aska, her smile beginning to return. “You should have been a maester instead of a soldier. You’re much too wise.”_

_“Now you’re being foolish.” Aska rolled her eyes. “I’ve always been a better shot than you.”_

_“Watch your tone! I’m still your commanding officer!”_

_The girls’ laughter filled the open air._

_“Oh, I wish we could stay out here all night,” Rose sighed._

_“Should we?” Aska asked._

_“You enable my wishes too much.” She smiled. “We should go back.”_

_“Let’s just stay out here a while longer. Please? I have some stories about the days we were apart.”_

_“Well...I’d hate to miss those.”_

_It had been a very long time since the two girls had spent a night outside, laughing and exchanging long tales under the stars. It was much needed. They felt lighter almost immediately; Rose swore she could reach up and touch the stars._


End file.
